Chapter One

Rubber meets Road.

My day started with a text from my baby girl, Erin. “Happy Birthday, Mom. I miss you.” Those words, simple and profound.

She.

misses.

me.

After packing up the car, I headed out to my birthday breakfast with a small circle of friends where I’d be announcing my spontaneous trip across the United States with the final destination of Kentucky for my 30th High School reunion and then to Alabama for several weeks to see Winnie.

During breakfast, I explained that I was searching for the ‘different’ in my life and that this road trip was something I needed to do. I explained that I didn’t know what it was going to look like or where it was going to take me, but that I knew I needed to do it.

For a few weeks, I kept having this recurring impression of wheels turning. It wasn’t a fully formed thought—just a persistent image that lingered in my mind: rubber wheels turning on a road. Then one day, out of the blue, my ministry partner Jade—completely unaware of what I’d been experiencing—mentioned Ezekiel’s vision of the wheel.

And now, just when I decided to go back to Monticello for the 30th high school reunion, the wheels began turning again. I had thought of flying out, but the wheels seemed to be telling me to drive.

Hence, my road trip across the United States.

After being launched onto my trip from my beautiful prayer warriors, I drove away, feeling a sense of freedom. 

The first stop was Kelsey and Paul’s new apartment. They gave me a beautiful birthday card. She finds the perfect cards that capture the truth in love. She honors our journey with her words. And now, Paul does the same

Paul wrote a mantra inside the card. 

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Shout loud, “I am lucky to be what I am! Thank Goodness I’m not just a clam or a ham or a dusty old jar of gooseberry jam! I am what I am! That’s a great thing to be!”

Once we said our goodbye’s and I was in the safety of my own car, I shouted loud as I started my journey, turning onto the freeway.

“I am lucky to be what I am! Thank Goodness I’m not just a clam or a ham or a dusty old jar of gooseberry jam! I am what I am! That’s a great thing to be!”

Zooming along, I immediately noticed that I was going toward the mountains and I thought of the spiritual battle and facing giants. As you approach them, they get bigger, both giants and mountains. The mountains surrounded me as I drove up i15N.

Eventually, the traffic came to a halt and I barely inched forward.  I was stopped in my tracks. Sort of like my life right now.

“Will you still go?’ He whispered. 

Me against the mountains. I considered my options.

Mt. Addiction was to the right of me. Mt. Unforgiveness to the left. Mt. Regret behind me and the one right in front of me is Mt. Uncertainty.

“Yes.” I couldn’t breathe. It was like the air it took to say the word stole life from my lungs. But, I knew the ‘yes’ was coming from my soul. Even though I didn’t understand what I was actually saying ‘yes’ to.

Just then an image to the left caught my eye. Off in the distance was a group of rocks sitting at the bottom of one of the mountains. It reminded me of Gilgal and the stones of remembrance. I pulled off to get gas and snap some pics.

When I was done with the pics and walking back to my car, I took a very deep breath, reviving the air in my lungs that had felt taken from me earlier.

Refreshed and ready, completely satisfied with my little Gilgal moment, I got back in my car and continued on over the mountain, crossing over the Cajon Pass and moving toward my first destination on Rt 66.

Bottle Tree Park, my first stop on this full circle journey.