Exactly where you are suppose to be.

I find I continue to pine for Alaska.

It’s only been four months since we’ve left and I still feel like I’ve left my heart behind. As I’ve shared in this blog previously, I’ve been struggling with feeling connected to our new place. Many of nature’s creatures are working to help me - the large white pine in our backyard, the wasps who keep building nests outside our back door (much to my pleading with them to go elsewhere as I don’t want to be stung) and the Veery who sing every night.

It wasn’t until I was coming back from the shores of Lake Superior the other day that I finally heard the simplest, yet strongest message, encouraging me to be present and see the unique beauty that the UP of Michigan has to offer.

I was driving along, when I saw a large doe standing on the left side of the road. As I slowed down, she began to walk into the road. I stopped completely. When she reached the yellow line in the middle, she stopped and looked right at me, making direct eye contact. I greeted her, admired her beauty and asked her if she had anything she wanted to say.

I heard “You are EXACTLY where you are suppose to be.”

I stared at her, realizing I had been comparing the road and scenery around me with that of the Chugach Mountains, albeit, unfairly. Her message to me jolted me out of my homesickness. And at that moment, she moved off to the right side of the road and bounded into the nearby trees.

A bit stunned, I continued on my way, grateful for the visit. I began to feel a renewed sense of place as I continued down the two-lane road to our home under the tall white pine.

Trust that you are exactly where you are suppose to be.

Photo by Robert Woeger on Unsplash