Kansas

I did not expect to fall so completely in love with Kansas. The sweet prairie air. The plethora of stars. The deep, deep green that comes after months of rain. Dad and I visited my Godmother and Great Aunt, Bonnie in Saint Francis, Kansas. Even though he hadn't been there in years, he knew, intuitively, exactly where her house was. (It helps that St. Francis' downtown spans the grand expanse of a few blocks and it's outlying neighborhood reaches only several slow roads beyond that). A little bird was waiting for us on Bonnie's porch. We knew we had guessed correctly.
Bonnie was waiting for us with a bowl full of cherries and a smile that soared off her face and into her neighbor's back yard. It was so good to see her, one of the precious people in my life with whom I feel a real soul connection. I don't really remember what we talked about, but that was not what was important- it was her deep understanding of me, and me of her, that was so refreshing.
We then continued onto Hays, Kansas where Bonnie's daughter Ione and her husband Mike live. If I could marry a place, I think it would be their front yard. (And Ione and Mike too!) Tall trees stretch towards the crescent moon, hanging low in the warm blue sky. Frogs and crickets adorn the night with beauty and laughter from the kitchen kisses the sleepy prairie to rest.