Big Announcement!

Okay, over the years it seems like we’ve had a lot of “big announcements!”  From marriage, to pregnancies and births, to moves and job changes, we’ve loved sharing our news with all of you!  And it looks like we’ve got another big announcement to share!  It is with a mix of both sadness and excitement that we’d like to tell you that in a few weeks we will be moving to Colorado where Chris is going to pastor a church in Redstone – a beautiful mountain town on the western slope.

We have truly loved living here in Kentucky!  It’s been one big adventure after another.  We’ve fallen in love with the Red River Gorge, hiked more trails than we can count, kayaked in rivers and lakes, and a few of us have fallen head over heels for rock climbing. (Okay, maybe just Sophia! Some of us are still a bit scared of heights!  By “some of us” I might just mean me, but that’s beside the point!) Since moving here, we’ve been able to see so much of the country on our great summer camping road trips!  From Florida to Maine, to Wyoming and back.  We’ve had a lot of fun! And man, this country has so much to see!

The kids have loved being part of the Swimchester Sailfish swim team and have met some of the most amazing kids you’ll ever know.  Good kids from good families!  They’ve loved running on their school’s cross country team.  Who knew that my little fish could run?  And we’ve met some really incredible people along the way!  We’ve truly loved the people of Stanton Christian Church and have loved getting to serve God alongside you.  You will all be greatly missed.    

That’s where the sadness comes.  It’s so hard to say goodbye to so many wonderful people.  Thankfully, we’re really blessed with technology that allows us to stay in touch so easily.  Plus, we’re only going to be about 21 hours away (or a few hours by plane). So just know you’ll always have a place to stay if you ever want to head west and check out the Rocky Mountains!  They’re truly indescribable!

And now we’re looking forward to our new home and the new adventures that await.  We’re most excited about the new church family that we’ve met in Redstone.  You’ve been so welcoming and kind, and we can’t wait for what the future holds!

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

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“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” ~ Susan Sontag

Looking for the light.

We live in a dreary world.  A world where people are looking for the light, but just can’t seem to find it. 

People are chanting “not my president” and protesting over so many things I can’t even get my head around it. Women, illegal immigrants, pipelines, black lives, police lives, transgender bathrooms, gay marriage…..the unrest is palpable.  The words are often filled with hate - blasted over social media.  Things we’d never say in person, we now feel free to blast over the internet.  And the words - they can’t be forgotten.  They will never be forgotten!  Name calling.  Name calling people we’ve never even met because of something we read that may or may not be true…It’s elementary.  We are better than this.  For my kids’ sake, we better be better than this! 

It’s so hard to wrap my head around all of it.  But I think people are just searching for meaning.  They want to stand for something.  They want to right the wrong.  And they want to fight the fight. They want to make a difference.  But oftentimes, making a difference looks a whole lot like taking action.  Doing something to make the world a better place.  I’m much more interested in what someone’s doing than just reading their very angry opinion.  Hateful words on either side won’t change anything.  But honestly, I think people are just looking for the light.  And they can’t find it in the middle of the darkness.  They’re too busy living in the darkness to see the light that’s right there. 

We live in a dreary world.  Did you know that it rains more in Stanton, Kentucky than in Seattle or Portland?  I keep finding different statistics, but some estimates say we get ten more inches of rain per year than both Seattle and Portland.  Moss grows on the trees here.  The forests look more like tropical jungles.  The grass stays green year-round.  Nobody has sprinklers to water their lawn.  They’re not needed.   And mold allergies are crazy high.  It’s overcast, cloudy, dreary, and wet a lot of the time.  The sky is, more often than not, a dreary grayish white.  Not blue.  And I catch myself just looking for the light.  Sunny days – they’re everything!  My entire spirit is lifted when I see the sun.  I spend a lot of time searching for the light in the middle of the darkness.

A few months ago I was on an airplane.  We were boarding, and it was snowing and we were delayed going through a de-icing process.  And so I had plenty of time to think about this dreary world we live in.  But then a funny thing happened.  We took off, gained elevation, and rose above the clouds.  And you know what?  The sun was shining.  

And I had a little “aha” moment of sorts.  Even when it’s dark.  Even when it’s dreary.  The sun still rises every single day.  It shines down on us every single day.  Even when the clouds are blocking it from us.  It’s still there.  Shining brightly.

Just like God. 

We all have dark days.  We’re discouraged.  We’re sick.  We’re heartbroken.  We feel helpless.  Defeated.  Lonely.  And depressed.  But he’s still there.  We just have to look beyond the darkness to see the light.  He is our light.  And he’s always there.