I associate so many fond memories with food. On that damp evening, along in a tiny restaurant smelling of mildew and lobster, I was 1,600 miles from everyone I knew and loved. After one bite of the pie, I closed my eyes, and taste transported me back to the warm, familiar comfort of my grandmother’s kitchen. She always had a pie sitting on the kitchen counter, ready to serve, and a fresh pot of coffee brewing.

I was 1,600.7 miles from home and alone on my motorcycle. I felt a freedom on Bessie I had not felt before. I had shed 185 pounds of dead weight, and I was finally riding soul-o. I was at peace.

I wasn't a stranger on this trip. I was a seeker, I was a daughter, a friend, a sister, an aunt, a niece, but most of all, I was true to myself. I honored a part of me that was weary, that had been bruised, challenged, broken, and used up. I asked God to renew my spirit and help me be grateful for the blessings in my life, and He did.

I have been exceptionally good at making bad decisions all my life. Fortunately, bad decisions make great stories. Unfortunately, most of my poor judgments have involved a man. It seems a shameful twist of irony that a woman's history is usually all about men.

I was learning to map my own course and determine my own destination now that my children were no longer a home. A fire burned within my soul, igniting possibilities I previously only dreamed for myself. I was choosing to feather my empty nest with leather and chrome, not a second-hand lover.

Momentarily, I could forget the sorrow of my absent daughter by being the daughter who was present.

With the utmost love as our motivation, we somethings think we are doing what is best for our children by protecting them from unpleasantness or cruelty. All we are really doing is shielding ourselves from owning up to misfortune or bad judgment.

Never let an old flame burn you twice.

Butch picked away at the threadbare fabric of my moral fiber until he found a loose strand. He tugged and pulled gently enough and began to unravel the slender threads that connected right from wrong.

Embrace your capabilities, honor your limitations.