Stop and Enjoy the View!

This past weekend I took a trip to Rogers, AR to visit my family and friends....alone!  Yes, I left my poor kids and hubby at home to fend for themselves.  Sorry, guys!  Although, I did have groceries stocked and dinner ready to pop in the oven.  Hopefully that helps my case!  ;)  Anyway, I spent the entire weekend relaxing, eating junk food, and drinking wine.  Although I missed Eric and the boys dearly, it was perfect!  I intended to come back to St. Louis well rested and ready to blog about how crucial it is for moms to get away...yadda, yadda, yadda.  But instead, my ride home took a detour and so did my thoughts.  When I arrived home, there was just something else in my heart...  

It was the sign indicating "Incident Ahead" that started it all.  Soon after that dreaded sign, I came to a complete stop.  And my first thought was, "Oh great!  How much is this going to set me back?"  Don't tell me you haven't thought the same thing when coming to halt on the highway.  We are human after all.  But have you ever just stopped and prayed for what might be happening ahead instead of thinking about how much of an inconvenience it is?  Or have you ever stopped to enjoy the view?  Trust me,  it took highway patrol diverting me off the highway and 15 minutes of driving the scenic route for it to kick in, so don't praise my award winning attitude just yet.  But here we were, a long (really long) line of cars traveling through the small Missouri town of Newburg, and something clicked.  Maybe it was the beautiful view.  Maybe it was the quaint little small town.  Who knows?  All I know is that I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God allowed me to take this detour.

It was exactly what I needed to conclude my weekend away.  And as I was enjoying the view on my drive, I vowed to take more time away from to-do lists and the million other things moms juggle and focus more on enjoying the view at home.  Yesterday, for instance, the boys sat together and Cooper read books to his little brother.  Mixed with 'once upon a time' and 'the end', it was breathtaking!  And I might have missed it if I hadn't stopped putting the laundry away to take it all in. 

I still don't know what happened on the highway, but I pray that no one was injured or worse.  But here are some pictures of "the views" I speak of, and I hope that you will take some time to take it all in as well!