The sun is up and so are we…best. day. ever.

Wow. I can’t thank you enough for all the kind words and congratulations. 

Friday was a beautiful day that ended a wonderful week where so many people told Russ all the things we who know him best have tried to tell him for so many years. 

It was the daily commitment to show up and do his best and encourage others to do the same that mark what will stand out as a great career path. An encouragement to all of us that the way we spend the hours each day we are given will either leave others, whose lives bumped into ours or traveled along for all or part of the journey, better or worse. 

I told him on Saturday that we can’t minimize the impact that Friday had on us. Although he is one who declines the spotlight and likes to shine it on others, he had no choice as so many poured out kind words over him. 

Like our wedding day and the births or our own and our grands, this was a day that changes our trajectory in a major way. 

It is a new path we have never taken and it’s a once in a lifetime event for which we have no experience and yet, we will find our way. 

Last week I attended a little knitting group that meets at our church. 

I took some projects that have been sitting idle in a cabinet and my recent attempt at making a hat renewed my love for this craft. 

With a skein of thin yarn and a set of ultra thin #3 needles, the ladies helped me remember how to cast on (something I relearn every project) and our knitting guru leader talked me through the questions I had about the size of the cable I would need to knit another baby hat. 

The smallest pair I have is still not small enough for what is ideal, but she encouraged me to muscle through knitting that first tight and stretched out row of stitches. 

Sitting under the leadership of a younger woman, two days out from the momentous day of watching my husband shut down a 39 year plus three months career, she said…

the first row will not look right and be tight and gnarly to try and knit and you will think it cannot possibly work out, but once you get that circle completed, it all turns out fine and it will be beautiful. 

She was right.

The cast on stitches were stretched tight in unhealthy ways and there was a funky looking loop that stuck out all the way around, but when I made the connection on the next row, it all just fell into place.

God speaks through others, you know. 

You can hear His voice come through people who are just talking about normal things and He speaks a word that reminds you…

I am with you, I will show you the way.

It will be different, but I am the same God who has walked you two through every phase of life together and life before each other and I am a good, good Father. I will show you both how to do this next season well.

We have a whole string of best.day.ever’s. ahead…and you are most welcome to join in as we journey onward. I am so thankful for you, fellow travelers and sojourners. 

Here on the journey we will continue to do a little bit of life around our house, a lot of life around God’s word mixed in with the silly and the serious.

I will see you back here tomorrow <3