The Long and Winding Road

The First Lady (wife) and I are in West Plains, Missouri for the night, as we head home from a whirlwind trip from Tuscaloosa to Cassville. There is no easy way to get to Cassville from T-Town. Once we get west of Jonesboro, Arkansas, the highway becomes very hilly and very curvy, making it difficult to make any time. I-40 is fine, of course, but the roads we've been on in the northern part of the state are not very straight.

So we left Thursday morning and got to Cassville about 6:30 pm. My wife's aunt Jean died earlier in the week, at the age of 85-- she's the woman for whom my wife is named. I could not do the deceased justice, but in a very short time, I've learned she is a very remarkable woman who worked hard to make her corner of the world a better place. A 50-year cancer survivor, Sunday school teacher and successful businesswoman are just a few of the things that describe her. There did not seem to be much grief; she had been ill for a while, and my read is that her family is relieved that she is not suffering anymore.

And I once again said hello to her husband, Emory Melton, a six-term Missouri state senator. He and his wife were married nearly 61 years. He also seemed to 'wear it well,' though I can't say I know him well. But I wish I did. At the first of the year, I mentioned I finished the biography of Harry Truman, another great Missourian. I wish Emory would put some thoughts of his on paper, so I could learn about and from a great man. Ann's and my challenge is to write to him regularly. I hope we meet this goal.

Attending a funeral today meant I missed my appointment with the GRE test. This is something I'm OK with. Sometimes there's a greater good, and there are some things that are more important than others. I did learn some things while doing all that studying and writing. I'm reminded of a decision-making process a friend of mine used on me when I was facing a choice: what will I remember most in five years? It crystallized the choice for me, and I don't regret coming for one second. It means we're approaching another fork in the road (always take it, btw), and we'll think a little harder on the graduate school idea, or maybe even getting another undergraduate idea. GRE was a bit of a hasty decision back in January. Maybe this lets me take a little bit of a better shot at the target and to figure out what I truly want to do.

Now it's Friday night, and we finish our trip Saturday. And I don't regret the decisions. I even relish the chance to meet more of Ann's family and to become more connected with them.