A dear Senior Adult friend called me several times over the years to let me know when he and his wife were going “Back to Bountiful.” Where were they going? What did he mean? They were going back to visit a small town in western Oklahoma that was home to them. He fashioned this phrase from one of his favorite movies. In 1985, Geraldine Page starred in a nostalgic movie titled, “The Trip to Bountiful.” In this story plot, Geraldine Page is a senior adult woman named Carrie Watts who lives with her son and daughter-in-law in the big city. She desired to go back to her childhood home in Bountiful, Texas. She wanted and needed to return to her roots. So, she struck out alone on her own personal journey.
A few weeks ago, I went “Back to Bountiful.” I had an overwhelming desire and need to travel home, back to Joplin, Missouri. I had not been there in nine years, and I knew it was past time. I put a bunch of miles on my car odometer. I relived years and years of memories in my head. I had a heart that was overflowing with HOPE, and I found refreshment for my soul. As I visited my family farm, I was encouraged by the sense of HOPE that place gave me. But I realized my sense of HOPE was not that forty acres that stretched before me but the fond and cherished memories of the past that were centered in that place. I experienced for the first time my love and trust for God in that place. My family, my church, my neighbors, and my daily life experiences were all part of showing me that God was the source of HOPE in life. So going back to that place, BACK TO BOUNTIFUL, not only reminded me of memories of the past but refreshed hopes and dreams of tomorrow and gave me real joy and peace in the present. It also reminded me that God is our HOPE, and trusting Him moment by moment will give us joy and peace.
“I pray that God, the source of HOPE, will fill you completely with JOY and PEACE because you trust in Him. Then, you will overflow with confident HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
For me, going back, taking deep breaths, clearing my mind and opening my heart fed my soul and allowed the Lord to remind me He is the source of my HOPE and Joy. I encourage you to find your bountiful place, your place of meaning, your place where God reminds you He is your HOPE.`
Vickie Riggs
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