Journey to the Homeland

The Hillside Oldster
By Don Berheim
We have been on a journey, actually a road trip to the area where most of my growing up happened. Our destination was the Boise Valley in south central Idaho. And I choose to share about this with you for a few reasons. 
 Our country is beautiful! We have the rolling plains and prairies; we have the mountains that stand tall in their majesty; we have the rivers and valleys that cut through the mountains to bring water, the essential life force for all the living beings on the earth. 
And we have White Bird Hill where the road winds back and forth and back and forth until it comes down to the valley and the White Bird River. Perhaps you remember that Lewis and Clark followed this river to the Snake and Columbia rivers on their journey to the west coast of the United States. 
Because we had time, we allowed these memories to soak in as they never had before. We came down towards Boise near the great Hell’s Canyon, a destination for many horse riders and hikers. We came to the “freeway,” which quickly took us to where I grew up. We were home. But in ways, not really, because the small, irrigated farm I grew up on is now a subdivision. 
The house and barn are gone and the only thing that reminds me it was home is a small canal that runs through it. That is still there. People here come from many states to live in this area. The reason seems to be the climate with mountains nearby for skiing in the winter. 
And being home I got to visit with an old friend. He is a retired successful farmer, three to four inches taller than I am. After our rich visit he walked me to the car with his arm over my shoulder. I was and am deeply moved because we did not expect to see one another again on this earth. 
    And then we came home on a more southern route, eventually returning to rolling prairies north of Benson. Home is home, is home! We all need that. How good it felt to be home. 
    Each of us has our own story, our own journey. Relish it where you can and make peace with all of it. It is yours and nobody else’s.