It occurred to me there might be a couple folks out there wondering how we’re getting on. If you’re one of those, this is for you.
LuAnn and I are back in Holland, Michigan. We’ve been here since early August. I know. That’s nearly three months ago. What can I say? You should know me by now. I get distracted.
We encountered a few bumps in the road upon our return that caused us to redirect our path and created some unexpected effort and sacrifice. As always, God’s love and God’s people have covered us with care and provisions. Though all is not well around us, all is well deep down. Thanks be to God.
Here’s a quick rundown on the family:
Nathan and Kirra finally got around to a honeymoon after two years of marriage. They went to England and Scotland. They’re living in Seattle, Washington—the University District. We miss them…a lot.
John’s canine care service, Tails ‘n Trails, marches on. He’s in a new house but still in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We admire his persistence to create and grow his own business.
Annie and Farrah (now 2 ½) are out on their own but, by God’s grace and mercy, flourishing in their new home and in their new lives together. They’re here in Holland, Michigan. Annie’s courage and resilience, in the face of hardship and strife, is a testimony of patience and perseverance to us all. We are proud of her.
And, lastly, here’s a little something about LuAnn’s and my ongoing pilgrim journey:
In our most recent adventure, we spent five months on the road and wound around and through 16 states. We slept in 81 different locations including two nights in homes of complete strangers and two nights in Saint Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City, Missouri. (Yea, there’s a story to tell.) We visited 37 national, state, and county parks and 47 sacred sites—chapels, cathedrals, basilicas, shrines, missions, monasteries, and abbeys. We spent 38 days in the desert. (We thought about making it 40 because, well, 40 is the number of days one should spend in the desert. But we didn’t. We didn’t think that kind of intentionality would be in keeping with our free spirit approach.)
Traveling from March to July offered a wide range of climate changes. It didn’t get above 25 degrees in our van on a few nights and didn’t get below 98 degrees on a few more. We encountered rain, wind, snow, and hail but no tornadoes or earthquakes.
We only broke down three times but those are the three best “stories along the way.”
And here’s the kicker. We were never more than 2,000 miles from Holland, Michigan, our point of origin, but we put 12,000 miles on our van. Yep, we took the long road.
We have no idea what lies ahead so I won’t even venture a guess. As usual, I’ll let you know when we get there.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring.
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”
—James 4:13 & 15
Mike Sollom 