On A Journey to Find Home

Hey there! It’s been a while. I decided to take a step back for a tick and spend some time unconnected. It is amazing what turning the TV and radio off can do for you and for your well-being. The “hate meter” seems to be at an all-time high lately and everyone has an opinion as to why. I’m just not interested anymore in joining in, so I just don’t most days. When serious trials come to visit, the rest of that stuff just seems so trivial. The last several years have really had an impact on what I really care about and what stuff is fluff (or is that the medication talking?).

As I have been trying to re-enter the mainstream of life after stepping back for the last three years or so, a lot of things I was happy to leave behind are making their appearance known and felt. Deadlines, keeping the train on the tracks and moving straight ahead, paying the bills, if my ministry is making any impact, concern about the schedules of others, the ups and downs of dating and wondering if I’m just better off alone (major stressor), trying to keep people happy (yeah, right), finances, health and just attempting to keep from losing my mind over some of the people I share oxygen with on this planet. Short story long, I felt the walls closing in on me, so I decided to go on a few journeys/trips and just relax and have some fun. That is one of my ways of getting back to center. All that to say, I’m very happy to have the autonomy to say “Hey Rut, let’s get the hell out of here and go find something fun to do and let the others drive each other crazy, I’m out. There is nothing more exhausting for me now than having to sit and listen to someone complain about work, their spouse, the government, the stock market, their kids, their neighbors, etc. I know I should probably be more accommodating and a better kinder friend, but I’ll get back to that when I get back home. There is so much to see and experience in this world.

As our friend Willie Nelson sang:

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

I got the traveling bug after I graduated from college (Go Zips! Fear The Roo!). Up until then I had not been very far from the Rubber City (Akron, Ohio) except for a few trips to Florida in the 60s. I had never been on a plane until my first assignment at my new job in 1984 when they sent me across the country to San Diego, California. The gates opened wide after that first one. I worked for an international valuation consulting firm, and I started traveling a TON. It was like going from 0 to 100 and I was all in. Being a music lover, there are endless songs about life on the road, traveling non-stop, seeing new things, experiencing different people and different cultures, and always wanting to head back HOME.

I have been to 42 of the 50 states. I’ve done some international travel too. I’ve been to Mongolia, India, Myanmar, Bhutan, South Korea, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cozumel, Virgin Islands, and horrible places like Michigan (sorry, had to!). Not a lot of places but enough to have experienced that the rest of the world is not necessarily like Akron, Ohio or Woodstock, Georgia. I am a 2 million miler traveler on the airlines, primarily Delta, over the last 40 years or so. I know what “it might get a little bumpy” usually means. I’ve got stories for days about small town America over my journeys around the country. I switched from loathing to loving big cities after experiencing all that there is to see and do in those places. I have also had the “joy” of mostly horrible hotel room views over that time as well. My late wife even made them into a book for me. One of my best gifts ever!

It is an absolute blast to go someplace that you like or someplace new to explore. The anticipation, the planning, the freedom, and the high I get from seeing a place that I had previously only read about or saw on TV or heard about from a friend’s story. Taking a loved one for their first trip to the ocean and watching their eyes get big when they see it and seeing them turn around and give you a hug because they are so happy. Watching the eyes of an older person seeing something they have always wanted to see or perhaps returning to seeing it after being gone for so long. To see the tears roll down their cheek as the memories come flooding back. Or maybe going someplace that your late parents or spouse wanted to go with you. Taking in God’s awesome creativity and excellence and (for me) realizing that there is indeed a Creator and that I am here for a purpose and that all of this can’t be due to a random explosion.

However, for me, the best part of any trip is heading back HOME. Looking forward to having a place I call my own and to seeing people who love me and care about me. Going to MY church, My restaurants, My friend’s houses, My traffic jams, My idiot politicians, My neighbors, and My one-of-a-kind family.

Let me ask you a question. Do you do like I do when you go someplace you’ve never been and after you look around a bit and take it all in, ask yourself or somebody with you this question…Do you think you could live here? The question really is…Could THIS place be My home?

I have been gone from my first home in Tire Town for 41 years now. I was there for 24 before I packed all my worldly possessions in a Ryder truck and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. When I return to Akron to visit, it always FEELS like HOME. I even say to my friends and family before I leave, “I’m going back HOME for a visit.” When I’m away for work or vacation and they call the plane for Atlanta, I say “I’m going HOME.” I ask the person sitting next to me, “Are you going Home or to work?”

Today’s blog is a trip my Sis and I took recently and how it relates to my Journey to Find Home and how that has changed over the almost 65 years of my life and how the different journeys in my/your lives have been pivotal in defining what HOME really is. Thanks for indulging me a little longer. I hope you find it worth reading.

But First…A Joke:

“I’ve determined the addictions that plague all of you,” a psychologist announced to the support group he was leading. “Your obsessions can be seen in what you decided to name your children.” Turning to one woman, he said, “You ma’am, are addicted to money, which is why you named your daughter Penny.” To another participant, the psychologist said, “You have a problem with food, which explains why your daughter is Candy.” Another man got up and headed for the door with his son in tow. “This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said to his child. “Let’s go home, Watching Football on TV.”

Bonus Dad Joke:

Hostess: Sorry about your wait.

Dad: Me, too. I’ve really packed on the pounds since college.

A Verse to Contemplate:

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever thirst again.” John 6:35

Have I Told You This One?

If you are going on a trip, any trip, there are certain things that are common for each one, (1) there are things you know, (2) things you hope to find out, and (3) there is always something unexpected or unplanned that you must deal with.

My Sis and I just got back from a 10-day trip out to Arizona. I have recently fallen in love with that state and the awesome beauty that can be experienced along with the history, modern cities, historical places, great food and the unlimited things to do. It is so different from either Ohio or Georgia it feels like I am in a totally different country sometime.

My Sis had never been out there before so I asked her if she would go on an adventure with me. I was out there last year at about the same time of the year but really wanted to go back. Thankfully she said yes so, we started planning. Like most trips and journeys in life the “fun part” takes forever to get here. As we were sitting waiting for our plane to Phoenix to be called, we looked at each other like little kids. I had always wanted to do this with her, but life has a way of getting in the way. Once we boarded and buckled in the rush of adrenalin hit and we were off!

Life’s journeys are like that too, right?

The first time is always the most exciting. We are trying to figure out what we know, what hope to find out and have concern about the unexpected or things we didn’t think about that we now have to deal with.

The first time you care about someone deeply and they say that they feel the same about you it is definitely a rush and quite a good feeling. You hope the way you feel about each other will last forever and you are really enjoying being with them. But then, they get sick, or they get tired of you, or they find someone else, and you must deal with the unexpected and unplanned and the rush is of a different type and your heart is broken and you must decide what’s next as you wrestle with all the questions and issues.

So, my Sis and I travel to Sedona after visiting with family and checking out the big city of Phoenix and the historical city of Prescott. We treat ourselves or are treated to the better things of life for a few days. It is going great, but I keep telling her to wait until you see what’s coming next. Again, the adrenalin starts to pump. As we are driving into Sedona through the curvy mountain roads the red rocks and beautiful rock formations start to come into view and Sis has her breath taken away. Around each curve she lets out another WOW. She gets quiet for a minute, and I look over and see that she is crying from the beauty she is taking in for the first time. I reach over and hold her hand and nod in agreement, it is beautiful and I’m glad we are seeing it together. I’m so happy that she is that happy. “Just keep driving Mark, I can’t speak right now.”

Life’s journeys are like that too, right?

The beauty of new beginnings brings so much joy to your heart. Realizing that God loves me and knew me before I was born. That He cared enough to send His only son to die for me so that I could be free and live eternally in a place that the beauty is endless and the joy never ending. Out of all the billions of people in the world He cares this much for me (and you). Seeing beauty from a different pair of eyes and from a different perspective. Feeling it so much in your soul that it brings tears. You thought you knew how beautiful life could be but now you find out that it can be so much more, and you wonder how you will even deal with all of it but can’t wait to get started.

Sis and I leave Sedona (reluctantly) and head for the Grand Canyon. She doesn’t believe me when I say that “You’ve not seen anything yet!” She can’t believe that anything can be better than what we just saw and experienced. She asks, “what is it like?” I say that it is so hard to explain, and I pause to try and get the right words. As we are driving and getting closer, we see snow covered mountains, beautiful cloud formations, and incredible scenery. I told her that for me it was like seeing the ocean for the first time. I was in complete awe and no matter how many times I see it I never get enough of it. We park the car inside the National Park and head for our first glance and the big hole in the ground. BAM! It hits her (and me) head on. She keeps saying “I can’t believe what I’m looking at, it’s surreal.” We hiked around for a few hours and now we must head back to Flagstaff where we are staying.

Life’s journeys are like that too, right?

We know certain things in life are going to be awesome no matter how many times we experience them, but the question is, which ones? There are things that we deeply want to experience or have happen to us like getting married, having children, having our own home, having a good job that encourages us to thrive, watching the kids do well in whatever they choose, hearing the kids laugh and enjoy life, going to their weddings and walking them down the aisle, having grandchildren, and living a comfortable life with someone who you love. You hope that you find out that there is even more than you knew about and that it makes you feel completely and fully happy. But life happens to all of us. There are things (sometimes many things) that don’t quite work out as we planned, and it hurts us. Accidents, health issues, the kids make bad decisions, you pick the wrong job, you pick the wrong whatever, you make some bad decisions that impact your life negatively and you don’t feel like it will ever get better. We may have to leave the awesome and go back to less. But I want to stay at an awesome place! Why do I have to leave or do something else. It’s not fair.

Back in Flagstaff Sis and I stroll into one of the many brew houses in this college town after dinner at this great little noodle place. We may or may not have had a few frosty adult beverages and tried our hand at trivia night when the 20 something college folks started rolling in. We looked like someone’s parents, and we certainly could have been, but we don’t care. We are enjoying a night out that we haven’t been able to do in forever. The frosty goodness is going down easy, and we decide to stay for trivia, at least for the first round. We can’t go back to the hotel and call it a night yet! So, the first round starts, and the topic is The Sopranos. I’ve never watched it and know nothing, and my Sis knows some but as it turns out, nothing about the specific questions asked. Out of the six questions, we get one right. The question was “What is Tony’s wife’s name? Our answer…Mrs. Soprano. “Goodnight, everyone, we’re out.” We must drive to Phoenix tomorrow and go home.

Life’s journeys are like that too, right?

There are a lot of fun things and celebrations during life. Enjoy them all and don’t worry about whether you fit in or not. Typically, it is some lie you are telling yourself anyway. Those young folks welcomed us into their place, and we had a great time. I learned not to be so hung up on appearances and just let all the silliness go away. At some point we all must head back to the responsibilities we left behind, but we can still have some fun and build some great memories. Mrs. Soprano agrees with me, so you take your victories and celebrate, no matter how small they may be. The journey is the fun part, not the destination!

After taking the red eye home from Phoenix, we arrived in Atlanta, and I was HOME. Sis had one more flight before she would be HOME back in Ohio. I walked her to her gate, and we knew what was next. Saying goodbye again for the umpteenth time. We were both tired but satisfied with our journey but were both looking forward to being back HOME and back to the familiar but thankful for the new memories made and the new experiences.

Life’s journeys are like that too, right?

I love to travel and my life and yours have been a long, strange trip (to quote a famous band). The journeys are what make it a full life. Not necessarily the trophies and awards (It’s a major award!). We think we know how things are going to go, and we are for sure hoping to find out some new things along the way, but we also know that there will be some setbacks and unexpected and unplanned things along the way. I am On A Journey To Find Home and I hope you are too. I know where my HOME is, and I hope to find out new things about that HOME every day. This temporary place is not my forever HOME, and I am reminded about that every day. Each day is a small journey of a much bigger journey. The travel experiences are good and not so good. Some treat you well and others clearly do not. Tomorrow will always bring something unplanned and unexpected just like a trip. Enjoy what you know and hope for the unknown to be great and deal with the unplanned and unexpected the best that you can. As Bad Company sings in the song “Moving On” … I’m fastening my safety belt again and taking off again and I’m movin’ on, movin’ on down the line.

Thanks for your time to read this. God bless you and your family.

A Prayer:

Holy Spirit, help me to sit in the stillness. Forgive me for searching for satisfaction in so many wrong places when I already know that You alone will satisfy my soul. Burn in me that You are enough and always have been.

Book Recommendation:

Don’t Believe Everything You Think (Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning and Ending of Suffering) by Joseph Nguyen (2022)

Music Recommendation:

Fastway by Fastway (1983)

Quote of the Day:

“I have always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.” - Lily Tomlin

A Cool Place to Visit:

Cooperstown, New York