We are at my sister's house outside of Potwin, Kansas. This morning we went to McPherson to see my father. He had a stroke in April of 2008 and has lost the ability to walk and his

communication is limited. Brett has not seen his grandfather since his stroke. After we spent time sharing and looking at pictures together I tried to trim my father's fingernails. I hurt him twice. So Brett said, "Mom, may I do that?" Very carefully and with complete focus, Brett began to cut his grandfather's fingernails. It is an image I will store in my brain....my son loving his grandfather and my dad trusting his grandson to care for him.

Then we took my father to a restaurant in McPherson called Amics. It is owned and operated by Shawn Kirchner's brother and sister-in-law. Brett loved the food and he is a bit of a food snob. It was the first time Brett had heard of making a wrap with avocado and pineapple in it. He is sold.

Tonight my two nephews and their families came over for supper. Brett hasn't seen his cousins since 2006. I loved the food, the family, the chaos and the harmony. It is good to have family.

My brother-in-law has several horses and Brett has been hoping to ride one. He has never been on a horse. Tonight after dusk, that changed. He rode Missy, a palomino. He is planning on riding again in the morning.

I am loving this road trip. Each day has been full of adventures. There are images from this trip I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Brett with his grandfather and Brett riding a horse for the first time are just two of them.