OMG I am in tears here! What a roller coaster of a post!
Love the ending, the goodness, the dirt road as the central theme. The road of life, ruts, abandoned homesteads (love that house), smooth rides, tractor rides, your sister Julie (which never stops shocking me), Julia, your parents. It's all here in a way that only you can put it together.
xo
Thank you so much--you articulate what I wanted to express better than I did. :) You poets! I hear a haiku almost every time you comment on any random thing.
Eh. Nope, can't haiku it after all, but smooth rides and tractor rides will stay with me! Thank you again for the kind words.