Not All Who Wander Are Lost

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-J.R.R. Tolkein

I can't say anything about broken blades or crownless kings (a lady must keep her secrets after all), but all the rest is true.

Not everything of value is beautiful at first glance.

Not all who walk the wandering road are lost.

Age doesn't matter, strength does.

The deeper the soul, the better you survive the trial.

Fire and trial bring renewal and second chances.

You never have spring flowers if you don't survive the winter first... except in the Deep South, which is where I am for very good reason.

Have I ever mentioned that I HATE SNOW?

South Carolina was too far north, so we retreated to the beaches. And, if all goes well, I'm picking up the keys to my new house today, rummaging around, deciding where kids will sleep, and checking the freezer for dead bodies.

Really... you never know what you might find in an old house.