Missing Missouri

The dogwoods are in full bloom and looking prettier each day here in north central N.C. I LOVE dogwoods!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to plant some of my very own here in the new yard, trees that will actually be MINE! :) I have plans for that front yard of mine when it comes to dogwoods... :) :) :) (Not that my kids or hubby read this blog, but should they, consider that a HUGEMONGOUS hint, hint, hint) :) :) :)

When the dogwoods bloom it always makes me miss Missouri. I know that sounds silly, missing a state. Have you ever been to Missouri this time of year? The dogwood is the state tree of Missouri, and its not like here in NC (which also has the dogwood as its state tree). The wild woods of Missouri are chock-FULL of dogwoods. It was always so beautiful to drive through the country to our home and see the woods just full of wild dogwood trees- their white blossoms just filling the still bare woods. Someday, I don't know how or when, I hope to be back in Missouri at dogwood-blooming time so I can get some photos, walk in the woods, and just enjoy their beauty.

I think when I miss Missouri, it's more that I miss my family. I miss the daddy I only knew for a few short years who we left behind buried in a cemetery plot in a small southern Missouri town. I miss what might have been had he lived- yet I have no clue how my life might have been, let alone if it would have even been better.... I miss my momma- the strong person in my life, the one I always could & can count on, the only family member I always knew loved me for sure, no matter what when I was growing up. I miss my pop who came into my life after Missouri and has come to love me like his own. I miss the country and the freedom to run in the field, walk through the woods, go play in a creek & find crawdads and try to catch minnows...

I do love the dogwoods, even though their time to bloom is a bit of a melancholy time some years. In their delicate beauty, they remind me that life is not always easy, the path is not always smooth, but life is always beautiful. I am a better person for the hard times, and I hope there is some beauty in my life, some glimmer of God that shows through the wild woods of my heart, my attitude, my words, and my deeds.

Wherever you are, I hope there are dogwoods and beauty surrounding you!