Tag: family

Road trip… completed!!!

photo credit: author

NINE weeks. 13,272 miles (21,359 km). Over one hundred visits. Only one casualty: a cracked windshield due to a stone that pinged us somewhere in Montana. Better make that two casualties: the second being a “few” extra pounds from the delicious foods we feasted on along the way!

But it was ALL so worth it!

Looking back on the trip… some random observations…

  • America is a HUGE country! We literally traveled from the East Coast to the West and lots of places in-between. My great-niece and nephew, whom we visited in Arizona, counted 30 different states we traversed on this marathon road trip!
  • America is breathtakingly beautiful! Mountains, plains, deserts, lakes and oceans.
  • It’s important to make sure one has a full tank of gas before driving some rather desolate stretches of highway. (We did do that, by the way — but one of those desolate stretches had us holding our breath and shooting up prayers before another gas station came into view!)
  • Everyone has a story, and our lives are richer because of engaging not only with those we visited but also with shopkeepers, servers, gas station attendants, hotel staff. Each conversation opened a window into someone’s life — and for that we’re grateful.
  • Some conversations were heart-breaking: estrangement from adult children; impending divorce; health concerns; loss of a loved one.
  • Other conversations were fun and light-hearted — like when my husband reconnected with two guys he’d gone to seminary with and hadn’t seen since graduation in 1977! and when we participated in an Easter egg hunt with dear friends and their grandkids!
  • Some things shocked and saddened us: seeing a sign in a restroom for a human trafficking help line — with several of the “call this number” stickers already torn off. Or suggestions on what to do if one feels “unsafe or even just a bit weird with the person you’re here with” in an upscale coffee shop.
  • We nicknamed our car’s GPS “Daisy” so that if “Daisy” made a mistake — and there were a few — we didn’t get upset with one another!
  • Most drivers were considerate, not aggressive — but there was one city… oh, my! Definitely checked that place off our list as a potential place to settle!
  • People… relationships… are the most valuable “things” in our lives!

So… how do all these observations relate to life today?!?

Next week my husband and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. I know — makes us sound ancient! And I really don’t feel that old! In fact, it’s hard to believe that we’re about to reach that milestone.

One thing he shared with me when we were newlyweds was

Only two things last forever: God’s Word and peoples’ souls. So that’s what we should invest our lives in.

That’s why the PEOPLE part of our trip was the most satisfying. The most meaningful. Some of the folks we visited had walked with us through a lot of ups and downs in our own spiritual journeys. With others, hopefully we built some bridges to help them understand what it means to be a Christ follower.

Yep! People… relationships… are why I consider myself a very rich person. And why we’ve spent our married life investing in the lives of others.

The more I get to know others, the more I see the importance of coming alongside one another so that together, we can more fully be the people God created us to be… and together, we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

One-way ticket…

photo credit: author

The first time I bought a one-way ticket was eleven years ago. My mother had been battling cancer and was now beginning home hospice care. I bought my ticket not knowing if it would be days, weeks, or months … only knowing I wanted to be there with my siblings to help care for her. A little over five weeks later we said our final goodbyes.

The second time was a few weeks ago when I booked tickets to our home country.

Both times, booking one-way tickets announced a finality that was — and is — hard to grasp. Both underscored that saying goodbye to people, to relationships forged over a lifetime or even those newly made is fraught with a myriad of conflicting emotions. Both accentuated the end of an era. Both were inevitable.

Booking those tickets a few weeks ago was yet another reminder that change is in the wind. That a LOT of unknowns await us. And yet at the same time, God keeps giving little glimpses into how He is going to guide and provide. Glimpses that greatly encourage my heart!

Yeah. I have my ups and downs. Good days and bad. Days when I feel overwhelmed, stuck. Days when I’m critical of everything and everyone — including myself. Days when I’m so tired I can’t think straight.

But also days when I’m refreshed by spending time with friends. Days when the beauty of this place and my morning serenade by tropical birds nurtures my soul. Days when God’s Word hits home in a way that helps me regain perspective.

Journaling has been a lifeline for me since my university days. It helps me think, process what I’m going through as I try to capture in words what’s happening in my soul. It helps me understand myself better, as well as helps point me to the things I know are true, things I need to cling to. It has become increasingly important during this in-between time of transition.

We will be moving to a new country.

Not “back home.”

To a place that has a familiar feel
– that is filled with memories of bygone days
– that is peopled by folks related by blood
and by life experiences.

And so we will go as learners
– observing thru the lens of first-time vistors
– recognizing that we will undoubtedly
make mistakes as we
navigate cultural changes
– needing to embrace the awkwardness
that comes when others
don’t know how to relate to us —
and vice versa
– finding our voice, our new identity —
while simultaneously striving
to remember what GOD says
about who we are is what is most important.

A learner is
– eager
– unafraid
– has no pre-conceived ideas —
or, more accurately,
is willing to lay them aside
– sees a gap in one’s knowledge
and is intentional in accurately filling that gap
– willing to admit mistakes,
especially where unchallenged/former
ideas or perceptions are concerned
– hopeful!
– childlike in faith
to embrace unknowns
– not trying to prove anything
– someone with a freshness that is contagious,
that inspires others
– not in competition with anyone
– one who infuses worth and
value and
respect in others.

A change in perspective.
A change in focus.
But a necessary one.
Thank you, Lord!

from my journal, June 23rd

I’m not sure where we were flying from (or maybe to??) when I took the above photo, but it symbolizes hope for me. Billowy clouds cover the land — and yet all that is hidden under their cover becomes clear, visible, alive once the plane begins its descent. A rising sun peeks above the horizon announcing the start of a new day.

We’re flying above the clouds now, metaphorically, as we prepare to move to our home country later this year. What’s under the clouds is known — even though we can’t see it right now. A new day is dawning for us, which signals an exciting new chapter.

A new chapter. New beginnings. A reminder that we can continue to have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!” no matter where we may land!