We're in Lebanon, TN and this is our last night in a motel. It seems impossible that our journey has almost come to an end. Tomorrow we will arrive in Asheville and then I'll be heading back home on Sunday. It will be good to have a day to just settle a little, unload Donna's car and transfer all my stuff to my car and get a little break from the road.

Originally, we planned to end the trip in Nashville and have one more honky-tonk night on Music Row. At the time, it seemed the most appropriate ending, but that was before Memphis and Graceland.

If anyone tells you to not to go to Memphis because it's too dangerous, thank them for the info and go ahead and make your reservations. Sure, there are areas you might want to avoid like in any other city, but Memphis has a soulful energy that you really don't want to miss. We stayed in the downtown area and felt perfectly safe to walk down to Beale Street and hang out..and walk back. Now, I would warn you that on Wednesday nights from April through September, the Bikers take over the main strip on Beale. It's very noisy and some of them were a bit on the rough side, at least to my way of thinking, but except for that little annoyance, it was a great opportunity to listen to some good ol' blues and foot-stomping honky-tonk. And absolutely fascinating for people-watching!

Somehow I had forgotten that the Peabody Hotel was in Memphis and was so delighted to see it and actually, go in and talk to the consigliere about the ducks. They were already tucked in for the night, but if one wants to see them, just be there at 11am and 5pm to watch them cross the street to the lake. Had timing allowed, I would have been right there at 11 to take photos of the little duckies. I used to love reading that story and am so happy to learn the Peabody has continued the tradition. The hotel is beautiful, very elegant and of course, totally out of our budget limits, but just knowing the ducks are still there was good enough for me.

Graceland!!! How can I possibly convey the thrill of bouncing into Graceland??? Have you ever anticipated something for so long that once it actually happens, it's almost a de ju vu experience? That's how I felt about Graceland. With that sense of familiarity, I knew that no matter what happened, I would not be disappointed because there were no outlandish expectations and I was entering this experience with my total heart and soul...the brain was not invited. Have you ever noticed how it's usually the brain that really fucks things up? Well, that's exactly why I left it in the car along with the luggage, water bottles and tourist brochures.

Graceland, to me, is really not so much about Elvis and his music..it's more about that he bought the house because he promised his mom he would buy her a "mansion" someday. The home is all about love and giving. And, as much as I love Paul Simon's "Graceland'... for me, it's not about losing love....it's about the pilgrims and families who come to Graceland to be "received".

My idea of being received in Graceland is like transcending into a higher state of grace...it validates who I am and why we're all who we are.... and ultimately... we really are all One. We're all bound for Graceland in one way or another. Donna put it so well..."if someone asks if we're saved, we can say...no, but we're received. That pretty much sums it up.

I have learned so much on this journey and it will take some time to process it all. For now, I can tell you that my heart is full of gratitude for this opportunity, and I do feel some subtle changes in me that will, hopefully, help me on my quest to become the best I can be and all that I am supposed to be.

As we roll into NC tomorrow, it will be so good to be back in our home state and even closer to my home at the beach with the love of my life and my sweet Sadie Mae dog.

But, first...Asheville and the Friday night drum circle.