Coming Home and a parable of hope

Last week I said goodbye to Yellowstone and my fellow rangers and headed home.

This summer has been an absolute dream come true.  I can't believe I had the opportunity to wear the green and gray of the National Park Service and serve as a ranger in my beloved Yellowstone.  I hope that I've taught my daughters and grand kids that you're never too old to follow your dreams.

My co-workers made me a going away card.  It has a lot of inside jokes that I won't bother to explain.  I'll treasure it always.

After I finished my last shift Irv and I went out for celebratory dinner at Bullwinkle's in West Yellowstone.  It's one of the nicer restaurants in town and they have a delicious huckleberry margarita.

I chose their signature dish--the elk ravioli.  It was fantastic!

Irv chose the chicken fried steak.  It was also very tender and delicious.

The next morning we got up early and prepared to move.  It takes a little while to get everything ready when you're pulling your house behind you.  It was definitely time to head home, the nights were getting down below 20 degrees and I was spending all day everyday in my winter jacket while inside my booth.  The snow will be falling soon.

We pulled out through the gate one last time.

Sophie rides in the back seat inside her crate.  The first day of travel she wasn't very vocal and seemed to be happy to be heading home.   We spent the night in Laramie, Wyoming.  

On Thursday we headed out for the final stretch home.  Sophie was very vocal and meowed the entire way home.  This was also the day of the "hearing" on Capitol Hill.  Fortunately I was able to stream the hearing on my iPad while Irv drove.

I'm not going to get political here, but I found the whole thing very disturbing.  I don't appreciate the partisanship on either side.  I don't appreciate old, white men dismissing a woman's claims about a sexual assault before even hearing what she had to say.  I don't appreciate the many ignorant remarks made on Facebook from old, white men who say it can't be true because she never reported it 36 years ago (educate yourselves, men).  I don't appreciate the judge being dragged through the mud.  There aren't any winners in this situation.

What I do appreciate is Senator Flake and Senator Coons working across the aisle to slow things down.

I was feeling pretty down about the whole thing.  I went to church on Sunday and the Pastor delivered a sermon that lifted my spirits without ever mentioning the events of the previous week.

There is power in being persistent, patient, and persevering.  Never give up hope and always work for the greater good.

Now, where is the phone number to the local Democratic Office?

The Parable of the Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8