Where I'm Supposed to Be

Did you know you can sometimes smell the paper mill that's located in Childersburg, Alabama, all the way to Birmingham, Alabama? I got a strong whiff of it this morning on I65, about half-way in between my house in Alabaster and my work home in Hoover.

Those of you who are familiar with this factory know that the odor it produces is less than pleasant, but this particular morning, that familiar stench brought me a lot of comfort because it reminded me of one place - my hometown of Dadeville, Alabama.

Oh, the number of trips I have made over the years back and forth from Dadeville to Birmingham , and a memorable part of the event has always been that turn-up-your-nose smell permeating the air as soon as my car reached the Childersburg vicinity. But as I traveled to my job at Ellis Piano just like I usually do on a Saturday morning, the not so nice aroma that had managed to float all the way to my location in Birmingham seemed to speak directly to my heart about my whereabouts on this beautiful, sunshiny day.

You see, my niece, Jillian, who is more like my daughter, is getting married to a wonderful young man this week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and my family, along with a large number of their friends, are all going. In fact, they left on a plane at five a.m. this morning while I was fast asleep. It's the first major family event that I have not been able to attend, and boy, is it hard.

Another big event in my extended family is the wedding of my first cousin, Reid McKelvey's, daughter, Savanah, that is happening late this afternoon on beautiful Lake Martin, which is in Dadeville. I can't go to that either.

The reason is the same for both; my health. It's been a rough winter due to two viruses that decided to invade my body. The first came to help me celebrate my 63rd birthday on December 29 and lasted for seven days with a recovery time of two weeks. I had one good week, then, whammo . . . a much worse lower GI virus attacked me, along with not one but FIVE of my Ellis Piano colleagues (at least I was not alone!) It lasted a week but messed me up for several, and I still do not have all of my stamina back. Also, I developed insomnia during that time and am still dealing with that. Even without the viruses, my ongoing chronic fatigue due to dysautonomia would have prevented me from making an extended trip to Mexico, no matter how badly I wanted to go.

So, when my nose met the familiar smell that I recognized as being that of the old paper mill close to Childersburg, officially known as Domatar's Coosa Pines Mill, located on the Coosa River, I was warmly reminded of, in a word, HOME, and making trips to the beloved town of Dadeville where I grew up. That memory, combined with the beauty and warmth of the sunshine this morning, made me feel as if God was sending me a reminder that, although I couldn't be where I wanted at that moment, which was on the plane with the rest of my family headed to celebrate the marriage of my niece, I was definitely where He had ordained me to be.

I was heading for another home - a work home where the environment is such that I have been able to hold down my job there for nearly 30 years despite my health issues. A place where they allow me to moan and groan, sob and stomp and mumble and grumble about my physical body that doesn't do what I need it to do often times. My colleagues cover for me when necessary and encourage me to go take a rest in the "sick chair" that we have in the back for certain situations - and I do the same for them.

God sent me a most unusual affirmation and consolation the first half of this day - the fowl odor of a plant that manufactures paper - to seal the fact that I was where I was supposed to be.

My brother's family on the way to Cabo, Mexico, to celebrate the marriage of my niece.