She pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. She didn’t bother looking for traffic as she opened the door and got out—no one would be out here. She walked around the back of the rental and stepped off the white rock road into the flat field. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It felt so good to be where she could breathe.

She should have been back years ago. She swore the day she left that she would visit once a year. But . . . life. What was a temporary move turned into a long-term existence far away from the place that made her soul sing. Not an unhappy life. Until this year she could not have asked for anything more. But now that she was alone, it was time to return to the home that her heart claimed, no matter what her address had said for the last forty-three years.

The sun was slowly sinking, leaving behind trails of colorful waves streaming across the wide-open sky. Oh, how she had missed this. She slowly lowered herself to the ground and just watched. She had no where to be. No list to check off. No one who was waiting for her. She could stay here forever, however short forever would be. She dismissed the doctors when they told her not to travel. She told them clearly, she wasn’t traveling, she was going home. She closed her eyes once more.

Finally, home.