I am often asked the question as to why I settled for Libby,
Montana out of all the cities in Montana. The answer I give is that Libby was a
default town. I did not know I was going to live in Libby until I could find no
other town or city willing to rent to a person who owned two dogs.
Years ago, I wrote about a character who left Chicago,
Illinois and headed to Montana to find herself. When I decided to leave Omaha,
Nebraska I decided to move to Montana in hopes of experiencing the life she may
have experienced but instead I learned that my character may have passed
through Montana but she did not stay for long. She may have stayed in a yurt
for a few nights to enjoy the peace and find the answers within her soul that
she had been searching. I can write this because after my stay in a yurt I was
able to find the answers within my own soul that I needed to find.
Libby, Montana is charming. I enjoyed being surrounded by
mountains. The night skies were like being in a crystal dome and the stars that
blanketed the sky felt as if they were so near that I could pluck one from the
sky. When it snowed or rained it fell in a straight vertical line. This was odd
because while living in Omaha, Nebraska there was always a breeze and the rain
or snow fell at an angle. The smell of the cherry blossoms in spring and the
evergreens in winter gave a balmy sweet smell while walking through town in the
evening with the dogs. This is how I wish to remember Libby, Montana.
The people I met in Libby are kind, generous, loving and
Christian. I learned these definitions because of the way they rallied to help
the out-of-towner get her things in a storage unit when it was time to leave
the house. Many of the people were strangers but they came to help and I will
never forget their kindness. The next door neighbor and her coffee and stories
shared while watching hummingbirds zoom past our heads to the feeders hanging
from the gutter of her backyard deck. My dogs wish to remember the two dogs at
the corner house that greeted them whenever we were out walking. The Jehovah’s
Witness who did not know that if they knocked on my door I would open and talk
to them as I would anyone. This is how I choose to remember Libby. My neighbors
across the street who willingly allowed me to stay in their camper when I had
no place to go and the family who willingly offered their pop up camper to me
even though it was that experience that led me to the yurt. This is how I wish
to remember Libby. Libby, Montana is best defined by the people who live there
and are willing to share what they have with a stranger.
I will not hate Libby, Montana for the misfortune that fell
upon me. I believe that everything happens for a reason and good or bad I
learned a lot from my situation. Without running out of money I would not have
learned the difference between family and relatives. I would not have learned
that faith comes with obstacles and that the stronger we are the more severe
those obstacles become. I would not have
learned that when a nation of family members are praying, the power they have
is able to propel my body and soul from one location to the next. I would have
not realized that God places people in my life to help guide me, encourage me,
support me and love me. I have so many
people to thank and I hope you are reading this post and understand the depth
of love that I have learned to accept and the gratitude I have for each one of you.
I found myself in Libby, Montana instead of my character. I
realized my strengths even when I felt weak. I realize that I have what it
takes to face obstacles and accept the friendly hand up from those who love me
and the difference between hearing, “What do you need and how can we help?” instead
of being asked, “Why didn’t you call and ask for help?” I learned to love
unconditionally and to accept unconditional love. I have a vast family and it
grows every day. These are the people who encourage me to keep going forward
and to not look back. So many have seen my quirkiness while watching as I took steps
of faith and, as crazy as my life has been, they never gave up praying and
supporting my journey. These are my family and they believe in me and my
ability to keep going forward.
Night has fallen and though I am posting this tonight it was
written Wednesday night before I drove out of Montana and began the next leg of
my journey. I promised to close this post and tonight I am keeping my promise.
I thank God
for all of this summer’s bizarre story. It was this obstacle during my step of
faith that gave me the needed courage to write about my life and post it on
Facebook and to start my blog. I am grateful for the door that opened that allowed me
to face a fear and just write.
I wish to thank all of you for following along with me on
this leg of my journey.
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