Soldatna

Friday night, there was a dance in Soldatna, 1980's themed.  I drove out there with a friend from work:  Rachael Echols.  It was gorgeous.  We passed many lakes and rivers, some of them the color of jade.  As we drove past the inlet we could see the mountains mirrored in the water.  The mountainsides were green with trees, not like the brown of Utah mountains.  The dance was slow at first, barely filling half of the cultural hall.  As the night progressed, the room compressed but it never became overly crowded.  It was nice.  A girl from our ward, named Abby, was the DJ.  She was good; she didn't do the usual line-up of lame music.  The crowd was fun and adventurous!  The next day/Saturday/yesterday, we slept in til 10:30 because SOME people wanted to stay up until the wee hours, talking.  We stayed at Marlene and Robert Meyers's home, which was lovely; they are generous people.  Sister Meyers was one of those who elected to stay up talking--I won't hold that against her. C:  The next day we kayaked on a lake in the Meyers's neighborhood; we played frisbee; we played on a zipline.  I went upside down first, so I was like a pioneer.  We enjoyed each others' company.  It was refreshing to be among those young people.  Even on the drive home, it was nice talking to Rachael.  She's a kindred spirit really.  We stopped at a place called Beluga Point on the way home, climbed a big rock and looked at the inlet for whales.  We didn't see any this time.
I feel like I should have grown up here in Alaska.  Of course, if that were true, I wouldn't be in this family or be the person that I am.  I'm glad to be here now, even though there is so much I miss about my past.  That just means I've had a good life, doesn't it?
Rachael said something that I want to remember.  She said that it's fun to meet and make friends with new people, and it's sad to see them leave your life (that I already know very well) but in Heaven, we'll all be together and feel the joy we had in them, there!  I can't put it into the words she used, but man did it feel good to hear that!
I feel hope.