# 112 - On the Road-Trip of Life

While raising our daughters, we had many weekends away and so many memorable road-trips. Now that our daughters are grown women, the likelihood of getting to take a road-trip with our girls is slim.

Everyone is busy with their own lives, doing their own thing, handling their own responsibilities and taking care of their own business.

This is how it is supposed to be in life. You teach your children to do better than you did and to go further in life than you did. Always encourage them to be the generation that takes everything up a notch. My family strongly teaches that each generation should rise above the last...each should do their part to keep elevating the family into a better way of life and help pave the way for the ones to come next.

So, Deputy Dave and I worked hard to give our daughters an edge. These days, we are slowing our pace of life down a few notches. In fact, on our road trips, we literally slow down for the sights and enjoy the scenes that are passing by.

We especially love getting to see tractors. A few months ago, as we were driving along, it appears we've stumbled across a tractor parade or something, there are tractors everywhere and I love it!

This winter, we got to take a little road-trip with our daughters to Dallas. The guys sit up front and us three gals sit in the back while trying to eat our breakfast. It's not an easy feat for some of us, mainly me because I'm naturally clumsy.

As a precaution, Stefie tucks in her famous shirt-bib. Heck, it works, so don't knock it. 

I look at these gals and feel a surge of blessings pouring down upon me in a magical trickle. I am one blessed woman. Having daughters has been a dream-come-true for me. My girls are awesome.

I love that we are at the stage to where they do their own thing and if I have a bad-off day with Addison's, they are off and about, not hovering over me or lagging behind in a worried state of distraction. By now, they've also learned that I seem to bounce back and the best thing is to just leave me alone in my weakened times because it will likely pass. I just have to get through it.

Seeing my daughters live out their lives is the greatest gift they could give to me.

I hope my daughters never have to worry about any kind of chronic disease. Just about every family has something lurking somewhere...cervical cancer, eye problems, kidney problems, gastro issues, some families have mentally imbalanced issues to consider...everyone has something to be concerned about. And as a doctor once told me, "Anyone who thinks they have nothing to worry about heathwise should probably NOT go through too much testing and scanning because it's likely that something, even small, will turn up and ruin their image of themselves."

The doctor told me that so many people are out there looking healthy and not knowing the true state of their health. I guess this is how he tries to make me feel better about my health battles, at least I do know what I'm confronting and my regular testing doesn't leave much room for anything to be sneaky.

I've made my peace with embracing a body that has malfunctions. I learned first-hand that everything can be perfect and a short time later, nothing may be okay.

My Addison's disease might cause me some difficulties, but I am still thankful because there are so many people out there suffering with other things that cannot be helped with medication. At least I have a chance!

And the more that time passes and the more research that is completed, then the less these girls will have to worry about. Medical advances are making leaps and bounds every year. My daughters are healthy; yes, I am blessed indeed.

Times together, just us with our girls, those kind of times are just about gone. Now we've got fiances and boyfriends as part of our clan. Still, we all pile into the truck and take road-trips. Sometimes we just ride around town and look at houses we like. I'd say we're all compatible and enjoy each other's company.

Confronting your situation while living the best you can with it is all anyone can ask you to do. I try to focus on all that I can do instead of what I can't do. I try to allow myself more time to complete the chores that used to be mindless activities for me. I continue to adapt and to do all I can to make life as fulfilling and nice as possible.

The good thing is...Deputy Dave and I have entered this time in our lives where we are making big changes. Speaking of "big" we're getting rid of the house that's too big. Mostly, it is too difficult for me to maintain because of it being a two-story. Stairs aren't too much of an issue, as long as I don't have to climb them multiple times per day.

Change is good, family is wonderful, growth is beautiful and love is the sweetness that should be piled on top of it all.

I thank God for his constant hand in my life, His helping hand and guiding hand and nudging hand...I can't imagine not having it with me. I need it through this life-road-trip, all the way until the very end of my road. Yes, I do.