CARROLLTON, Texas — Ruth Dickerson loves to bake. She spends pretty much every day in the kitchen, making cookies and other treats to share with others.
But what Dickerson really longs for is a taste of home.
“Oh, I love Iowa,” Dickerson said. “It’ll always be my number one state.”
Although Dickerson moved to Carrollton 27 years ago, her heart stayed in Iowa.
She was born there in 1933, married her husband there in 1952 and raised three kids among the fields and rolling hills.
For years, she’s wanted to go back to visit.
“Oh, I definitely wanted to, but I knew it was impossible,” she said. “I never thought I’d see Iowa again.”
With her 90th birthday coming up, Dickerson pretty much accepted the fact she’d never make it back to Iowa. However, little did she know her kids were planning a birthday surprise.
“We’ve gotta somehow make this happen,” said Dickerson’s daughter, Denise Dickerson.
“It was just real important for my sister and I to get mom up there one last time,” said Ruth's son Randy Dickerson.
They booked a flight and were greeted warmly by airport staff, who wished Dickerson a happy birthday. That started an avalanche of birthday wishes from everyone on the plane.
After they landed in Iowa, dozens of old friends and family were waiting to celebrate Dickerson’s birthday.
“I just cried,” Dickerson said. “I just really cried.”
“Tears were just streaming down her face and she looked at me with the biggest smile and said, ‘I am home,’” Denise recalled.
All the people and places she loved, Dickerson visited again.
She saw her sister for the first time in years and remembered her husband as she walked the aisle of the chapel where they married.
Although perhaps the most notable moment of the trip was reconnecting with classmates she hadn’t seen since graduation 72 years ago.
“At the end, when it was time for them to go, one of my mom’s friends grabbed her face and she said, ‘I’ll never see you again here on earth, but I’m glad we saw today,’” Denise said. “It was a sad moment and a joyful moment because we were able to give that to her.”
Knowing this time is the last time is never easy, but it is a good reminder to show appreciation every time you can.