I don't know where this will end. Then again, isn't life like that?
I'm in one of those "thinking" moods. I just bought the soundtrack to Tron and the digital frontier of the unknown has inspired me to ponder on the next phase of my journey. A lot has happened since I was last on here. As of the end of May, we're going to be moving to Fresno. I've moved 14 times, and Fresno will be 15. Having lived in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, New Jersey, Philadelphia, North of Boston, Pasadena, Rhode Island, and now onto Fresno, I don't know if I can rank them in preference, but each of these phases of the journey have shaped me to the person I am now. Wow that was cheesy. But it's true. I know each of these locations have their stories, characters, pleasantries, and the not so pleasant memories.
Saudi and Lebanon taught me about living in countries where "you don't always get what you want." Lebanon was harder, there was the occasional bullet to dodge. Arriving on the shores of Pasadena then onto Jersey, I tried desperately to blend in, but I had "fresh off the boat" written all over me, especially when I was failing English Grammar in 7th grade. Maybe it was the purple shorts, dress shoe loafers, with white socks raised high, and the Devils (I didn't even know what hockey was) t-shirt that gave it away. That was the last time I let my Mom dress me. High School in dirty jersey was tough. College in Philly were the days I was foolish to the point of possibly meeting my Maker. There were more tough days: Dad in the hospital room connected to a lot of tubes ain't pleasant to see. Finally one day I did realize the life I was living was not so pleasant in His eyes. Studying design made me see products and people differently. After graduating college, life seemed to get harder-where to go next? Crashing my car because I fell asleep answered that question. Being a momma's boy, moved back to Jersey, where I accomplished one of my all time dreams-coaching soccer, eh it's not professional, but it's been something I've always wanted to do. I worked at a printing company trying to figure out the next steps in the journey. Move #?, I lost track already. The North Shore of Boston, where people bleed Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots was the next stop after turning 22. Seminary is where I saw another layer get plastered on. Bible, discussions about theological beliefs, and the formation in being one of the best fooseball players was home for 3 years. Made friends that are all over the world serving the King. 3,000 miles across the country and then another 3,000 miles back in 3 months, to only come to the smallest state of the US. In this Ocean State is where I learned how to Pastor. Maybe I can remember this layer in RI the most because it was recent. The experiences and memories are forever etched. And as the Tron music builds, RI was great.
And now another 3,000 mile trek is upon us. I had to Wikipedia some info on Fresno. Armenians made a subject heading under it. Maybe William Saroyan had something to do with it. Some call it "God's country," and having visited it recently, I look forward to seeing and experiencing more of this agricultural city. So the blog is coming to the destination of the end. In a journey, there should be some goals set: particular locations to see, experiences to have, but in the end it's not a vacation, there's a formation, a layer that gets placed on. Can't wait to see what farming is like, how pleasant 115 degree weather is, and most importantly what God will do on this part of our journey.
