ROADTRIPPIN - VISITING FRIENDS

Tamera Schmidt Rodger and Gena

One of the things I have finally learned about life is that the best part of vacations are the people that are part of it. I have travelled extensively throughout my career – and therefore seen a lot of hotel rooms. But the best trips I’ve ever taken were the ones where I stopped and stayed with friends along the way instead.

   I used to think it would be an imposition to ask to stay with family or friends – and I didn’t want to be a burden. But I finally realized how very flattered I am when people come to stay with me (and, yes, that IS an invitation). Not that having me as a houseguest is some great honor, but it’s a great way for me to get to stop and see people that I love – even if only a brief visit along the way.

   There have been so many times over the years that I “intended” to stop somewhere and visit someone – but time just ran out (because that often happens on vacation). And some of those people are no longer here to visit – and I regret the visits I didn’t make. And some of the visits that I thought would be the biggest imposition turned out to be some of the best visits of my entire life – and memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

On the Road to Nauvoo, the first friend that I get to see is Tamera Schmidt Rodgers. Tamera grew up in my ward – but she’s all grown-up now, married, moved away, and having her first baby in a few months. When I realized that my roadtrip would be taking me through Colorado, I knew that going to Colorado Springs to stop and see her would be mandatory – if only to deliver a Care Package from her parents. So I decided to reach out and see if I could crash at their place overnight.

   Sure, I’d be getting in late – and it would be a weeknight, so we’d all have to be up and out early the next morning. But still – a visit is a visit. I texted along the way, and it was a bit late (as I expected) – but Tamera is a great host and even came outside to greet me as I arrived.

It’s always great to see friends you don’t see very often, and seeing Tamera (and her cute Baby Bump), a quick visit with her and her awesome husband Greg, and a tour of their adorable little Nest was the perfect end to a long day.

   Visiting friends is about more than just a place to lay my head for the night. It’s about reconnecting those connections that weave the tapestry of our lives. The very fabric of our soul. We decorate our homes with things that we get at Target or online – but in the next world, I truly believe that our Heavenly Homes will be decorated with the tapestries that we weave with the friendships that we create in this life.

   And if the amazing friends that I have been blessed with in this life are any indication, then I will have a beautiful home above.