Happy Birthday America

JACKSON, Minnesota -- After a long day of driving, we made it all the way through the Dakota badlands yesterday and into Minnesota. We began the morning just outside Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, hoping with an early start to see the four granite presidents.

We saw them. But only through the windows of the Heart of Gold. As we approached the park entrance, their faces looking down not so far in the distance, we were told that the parking lot was already full. While I would have loved to spend hours there, in the interest of getting to Minneapolis soon than later, our intent was to do little more than Chevy Chase and his family did at the edge of the Grand Canyon in Vacation. (If you've never seen the movie, it's worth it for that scene alone.) So, our enforced driveby got us on the road to Minneapolis a little earlier.

We left Scott and Deb's Monday morning. It was a great visit.

One thing I didn't mention was that in addition to everything else that was going on with their granddaughter, they also had Deb's parents visiting from their home in Oregon. They were wonderful people and even after so many years of marriage, still doting on each other, holding hands, taking care of each other, cracking jokes, clearly still very much in love. They are an inspiring vision of marriage in sunset as it should be.

On Sunday we all went to Church together and then were fortunate enough to be in town for the Great Montana BBQ Cook-off with "downtown" Absarokee blocked off so that dozens of the most skilled open-flame chefs in the area could show off their skills. My favorite, remarkably, was the Ahi, a yellow-fin tuna marinated and grilled to perfection. I raved so much, the cook -- a self-professed "good ole boy from Billings who just likes to cook" -- was kind enough to slip me his recipe stashed in his pick up truck around the corner.

Sunday afternoon, Scott saddled up one of the horses for the kids. Amelia rode -- really rode -- by herself for the first time and I took Noah for a few laps around the corral. Amelia was ecstatic. Noah was thrilled.

What most impressed me, though, was Scott's willingness, even eagerness, to do this for my kids. I think it is safe to say that by Sunday evening, after the emotional roller coaster of Abigail's emergency all week, staying up late talking with us, getting up before dawn to tend to the many chores of his ranch, preparing for and teaching Sunday School class, doing a therapy session after church, and then hours out in the hot Montana sun at the BBQ, only followed by more ranch chores through the afternoon, that he was flat out exhausted.

Plus, getting a horse ready for riding is no small task in and of itself, all the more involved with the "help" of a seven-year-old girl.

Scott must draw his strength from a very deep well because he seemed as patient and attentive and eager to teach my little girl the basics of horse care and riding than if had he been relaxing all day. Thanking him at one point, as he was saddling Texas, the horse we would be riding, he turned with an undeniable gleam in his eye, and said, "Oh, this is the fun part for me." I could tell he wasn't just being gracious, but that there was real joy in this for him.

But the thing is, I sensed that joy in everything he did, whether it was feeding his horses, sitting at his wife's feet for a momentary break while we all talked in the living room, preparing his lesson, loading a small forklift onto a trailer or talking to his daughter at the hospital, whatever he was doing throughout the day, there was an inner joy pervading it all. He was not just happy to be doing what he was doing at the moment, but there was that undeniable mixture of peace, gentleness, thankfulness and verve -- what I can only describe as joy.

The same could be said for Debbie, as well, who also wears a tireless, gentle, eternal smile on her face. We miss them both already. Indeed, even as we were just pulling out of their driveway Amelia asked, "can we come back here again?" And I don't think it was just because of the horses.

This morning we are bound for Minneapolis to spend a few days with Angie and Brett and their three kids, Justin and twins Grace and Garrett. Angie is Marley's cousin and life-long partner in crime. They are the ideal final stop for us on this long trip. They know us better than anyone and yet somehow still love us anyway.