Getting Real With Shadra Bruce

My husband is truly my hero. Do you know that so far, of the roughly 5,200 miles we’ve traveled, he has driven all of it? No complaints, always safe, always in good spirits even when traffic is bad and weather is worse. He’s always been pretty amazing to me, but today, he achieved new heights.

You see, the family reunion is over and I was supposed to be saying goodbye to everyone (and had to say plenty of tearful goodbyes already). We were going to head from Hermiston to Missoula for a night before heading on to West Yellowstone. That’s the shortest route. But my sister was headed to Boise. Boise to West Yellowstone is about 2.5 hours longer. But Boise is where my sister was headed, Boise is where the great aunt and uncle who, at the last minute had health keep them from traveling to the reunion, Boise is where our son was born, Boise is where we got married, Boise is where my dad still lives, and Boise is where my mom is at rest.

What’s 2.5 hours against all that, says Dave.

So once again my sister’s family and mine took our minivan caravan to Boise. Knowing that we needed to get the emotional visits out of the way first, we stopped for flowers (both real and silk) and met at the cemetery. I’m so glad Dave was willing to drive the extra 2.5 hours, because our mom’s site had been neglected. The silk flowers I’d put in prior to moving to New York four years ago were nothing but green stubs. Tiana and I made it look beautiful again, and because we were together it was a more healing moment than we’d ever had.

We followed that with a visit to our great uncle Richard and great aunt Mona. Uncle Richard is an amazing man who has overcome a lot of adversity and has been a pillar of strength in our family. His son Patrick had this to say about him:

“My dad taught me all I needed to know about determination and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example.  He not only continues to influence me through his actions, but also influences me through his words. He has taught me a great deal about life. He teaches me and instills in me lessons that he wished others had instilled in him.  My father also influences the way I approach life. I have gained not only knowledge, but have applied his teachings to my life. Because of the example he has set for me, my father has provided the steppingstone I need to achieve my goals so that I can lead a happy and successful life. He gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.”

We made a quick stop to see our dad, who was packing up to move, then checked into the hotel.

After feeding the kids, we enjoyed an adult evening out with my Uncle Terry, who treated us grownups to dinner at Goodwood. After dinner, we let the kids swim at the hotel pool while we visited one last evening. For Tiana and I, the knowledge that we would go our separate ways the next morning was painfully palpable. Neither of us were capable of facing the impending goodbye, so just enjoyed this extra day we were treated to thanks to Dave’s willingness to make a longer drive to Yellowstone.