empty highway and me

Tonight, I drove 40 miles to Sumter, SC to have lunch with a dear friend, really a "big sister." The drive there was stressful, lots of traffic which made me run late, something I hate to do. Constantly recalculating every minute how much longer until I get there, how long I'm making her wait. But lo and behold, she was later than I and all was well. And then, we had an amazing dinner. The food was good, yes, and I got another restaurant off my checklist of places to eat before I left, but it was just so wonderful to talk to her. To review my past semester and everything that I've learned and been through. Decisions I've made, struggles I've endured... maybe even triumphantly. And I look back, somewhat chuckling to myself, amazed at how God guides our lives somewhere we can't even dream of. "Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself." As I look at these past 6 months, that phrase is so true tonight. God really is a better friend to me than I am to myself. And I am so grateful for that. It's amazing how He helps guide us to what is absolutely best for us, sometimes without us even realizing the significance.
After a while, we decided we both needed to get on the road. Driving home, the road was almost totally deserted, and it was beautiful. Just me and the dark road. I was listening to my music that my sister and I put together for our adventure to Augusta, and the song that my mom sent me a couple of months came on. I truly love this song, mostly because my parents gave it to me. "My Wish" by Rascall Flatts. It's a very sweet song, and I find it so reassuring. I talked about it back on November 18th too. I'll put the lyrics below in case you're interested.
After listening to this song, I realized that I hadn't prayed yet. Usually long drives, especially at night, are when I pray, especially singing prayers. I don't really have a good voice, so I don't usually sing around people or where anyone can hear me, but I do enjoy singing prayers. I used to do it in the far gardens at Bahji, the gardens near the Shrine of Baha'u'llah outside of Akka, Israel. The colors were always especially amazing in that corner. I loved the afternoons when no one was there and I could sing to begin my visit to the Shrine, to begin my prayers and meditation. So tonight I sang. I've gotten much worse since I've been out of practice, but it felt so good. I've had an interesting journey with prayer this break. It'll be interesting to see what happens when I return to Ithaca. But for now, I shall end this lovely day with some more prayer and then some sleep, for tomorrow is another day.

My Wish
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.