I Do Believe

Ruth had a couple of five-year journals. Five-year journals ask you to respond to the same question, on the same date, for five years.  She never recorded anything more than three years.  I stumbled upon one this week that she kept while we were in Florida in 2014, 2015 and 2016.  Those were the years we lived in The Village of Hillsborough.   She left more pages blank than she wrote on.

On March 18, 2015, the challenge of the day was: “In three words, describe your spirituality”.  Ruth wrote, “I do believe”.  There’s no significance to the date.  The fact that it fell between Elizabeth’s thirty-eighth birthday and David’s fortieth was more related to the book publisher than the kids.

Since her accident, I’ve seen numerous things that convince me that she’s trying to stay in touch.  I’ve written about many because having a written record insures, they won’t be lost.

I recently spent ten days in Michigan.  I flew in and out of Grand Rapids but made several multiple day stops in between.  I started at my condo, spent two nights in Petosky, back to the condo for three, one night in Battle Creek, a night at Crystal Lake, and the final two in Holland with David and his family.  I saw Brady play four basketball games as this was the primary purpose of my trip.

I drove from Crystal Lake to Holland on Friday, November 17th.  I had made the trip before, but wasn’t sure of the fastest route, so I let my navigation system make the decision.  I could go up US 127 to Lansing and head west or take I-94 west to US 131 and go north.  When the navigation system took me west on I-94 I was a bit surprised, but not shocked.  Shocked would come later.

I had programed David’s Holland address into my car’s navigation system, so all I had to do was select “previous destinations” and I was good to go.  My system gives me step by step instructions that appear right in front of me.  All I have to do is glance down to make my read.  As I approached Galesburg, I was instructed to get off but continue heading west on a side road.  I’ve forgotten the name or number.  Soon I was directed north but ran into a road construction closure within a couple of miles, so I headed west again.  I knew north and west would eventually get me to Holland.

I made a series of left and right turns as I made my way.  I was familiar with the countryside but was never completely sure where I was until I hit Sprinkle Road.  It’s on the east side of Kalamazoo.  I’d lived in Kalamazoo for four years as a student at Western Michigan University and for the eight years I taught in Plainwell where I met Ruth.

Sprinkle led me to Riverside Drive.  I’d driven Riverside to Plainwell several times.  The principal who hired me, Floyd Hindbaugh, lived on Riverside.  I knew if I turned right, it would take me to the east side of Plainwell.

I flashed back to a day that I drove from Plainwell to Kalamazoo in the spring of 1970.  Ruth and I were heading back after work and took the scenic route.  I had the top down on my Mustang convertible as it was a beautiful spring day and we had just started dating.    A lady in front of me had her right turn signal on so I attempted to pass her on the left.  I should have known better, because she changed her mind and turned left.  That’s when I hit her.

No one was hurt, and the damage was minimal, so we agreed to take care of our own cars and continued on.  Funny what you recall when you least expect it.

While I knew the rest of the way to my Holland destination, I journeyed onward, following my navigation system’s directions.

As I drove past the Crestview Golf Club, I recalled the time when a group of fellow teachers and I talked about buying the course.  Rumor was we could have purchased it for $10,000 a hole or $180,000.  We didn’t have $18 to spare so we passed on the opportunity.

When I was directed to turn right on Douglas Avenue, I knew Ruth was taking me to Plainwell.  I didn’t know why.  But I knew she was.  You see if I had turned left, I would have been heading back towards Kalamazoo right past the Hi-Lo Bar where I asked her to marry me.  Instead, I was going to Plainwell.  I’d end up in the center of town.

I drove past one of the country houses she’d lived in as a child.  We had taken Brady and Eva there while taking care of them a few years ago.  If we hadn’t made the stop with the kids, I may never have known.  Ruth talked about the house several times, but I never locked it in until we stopped with the kids that day.

The closer I got to Plainwell, the more my emotions got the best of me.  I knew where I was headed.  I just didn’t know why.

TBC