The Adventure

 

When driving home from town a few days ago, I stopped and took the above photo. I later posted it on FB, expressing my thankfulness over living in such a beautiful place. I got to thinking about how truly blessed my husband, Greg, and I are.

God has been good to us. But some of our happiness has to do with the two young people who were willing to take a risk. 

In 1979 my husband and I lived in Washington State. Greg had a great job, and I was happily fulfilling my dream of being a stay-at-home-mom. We had a new home on acreage in a very nice area of King County. Moving away would be silly, right?

My husband's brother Gary lived in beautiful Douglas County, Oregon and Greg and I had made several trips to the area to visit. Soon a longing to resettle on the fringe of the wilderness took hold of us, but moving didn't make sense. 

We prayed about making a change and prayed some more. Moving would mean we'd have to give up a lot. One sacrifice would be Greg's terrific job. What would he do for work in small town Oregon? We would also have to say farewell to long-time friends and family and relinquish our sense of security. We'd have to sell our lovely home. And we'd need to place our lives in God's hands and trust that we were making a choice within His will.

We continued to pray and although our loved ones thought the idea was crazy, we knew Oregon is where we belonged. We made a trip south to search for of a piece of property where we could build our forever home. After finding the perfect place, we released what was familiar and set out to discover our new life. 

We sold our home. Greg gave notice at work, then Greg and I packed up a UHaul truck and headed south. We had only two children at that time, but Kristina was just barely six weeks old. As we drew near to our new little community in the foothills of the Cascades the sun had long since set and it was very dark. I remember well how lost I felt as we drove the final miles. There were no city lights, and it was a long way between ranchers' homes. When we finally arrived at the house we had rented sight-unseen we discovered it was in desperate need of a good cleaning and some tender-loving care. While Greg set off in search of something to eat, I sat on the living room floor with my little ones and wondered if the move had been a huge mistake. 

By the time Greg and I got our kids into bed that night and we climbed beneath our blankets we were exhausted. Still, sleep eluded us as we wondered what the future held. The next morning, we were greeted by sunshine and birdsong. Standing on the porch of that old farmhouse I breathed in the presence of God and renewed my strength. I looked at the glorious view and knew we had made the right decision.

Through the many years since, we have experienced joys and sorrows. Life has not always been easy. It has been a mix of wonder and hardship. But as I've watched my children and now my grandchildren frolic through the meadows and forests, I've been thankful for those young people who chose to take a chance.

Life is an adventure. Each of us are faced with decisions and some of those can have profound effects on what we will experience while on this planet. I pray that Greg and I will not forget how to embrace a challenge and I pray that each of you will make the kind of choices that bring you joy.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie