On the Road Again (Josh)

Last year our family experienced an amazing adventure as we toured the country on a 10 month and 19 day excursion.  Originally, we had planned on going back to “life as usual” once we returned.  But, much to our surprise, we realized that our ambitions to travel and experience other places and other communities in other parts of the country had not yet been exhausted.   In fact, our trip of a lifetime actually fueled a now growing desire to experience life in new ways; ways we had not been able to experience in our hometown of Seattle.  Mel and I, both born and raised in the inner suburbs of Seattle, never imagined loving a place as much as Seattle.  But as we traveled the country in 2018-2019, we started to enjoy a slower pace of life, an escape from the relentless Seattle traffic, a respite from the constant demands of an over-scheduled life, and the joys of focusing on relationships first among other things.

Along with these new experiences away from the big city, we met a community of people- the Homestead Heritage in Waco, Texas.  This church community was unlike any other community we had ever experienced.  From the way they prioritize relationships, to the way they live a life of excellence and put first things first, we immediately liked them and desired to experience their way of life.  Spending several weeks with them last year, we found ourselves wanting to continue to know them more.  As we continued on with our travel in the spring of 2019 we could all feel a tugging on our heart strings to go back and see them again.

And so, 8 months after our return home, we left Seattle once again.  This time, on a shorter 4 month excursion, our itinerary has a much more intentional focus.  On Feb. 11th 2020, we pulled away from our house in Washington.  We traveled south on I-5, sleeping along the way in Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico on our focused route to Waco Texas.  Six days later we arrived at the Homestead Heritage Community.

We plan on being here in Waco for two months before we leave again to visit friends in Alabama and Tennessee.  During these two months with the community, we hope to come to know them more, to learn from them, and to experience their way of life.  A way of life that, for us, is unique and refreshing, a lifestyle that nourishes our souls.  To hear more clearly that still small voice that speaks to our hearts and calls us to live a life of purpose and meaning.  Nothing I know could be more valuable than learning to live in such a way.

I am grateful and thankful, not only for the opportunity to embark on this adventure once again, but also for every relationship I have built and cultivated over my lifetime.  I am grateful and thankful to my parents and my family, who raised me and taught me to live a life seeking meaning and purpose.  I am grateful and thankful to Mel’s family, who have tolerated me as I have taken Melodee from them on crazy adventures in far away places.  I am thankful for my friends who have supported me and encouraged me to press on to my dreams.  I am thankful to my employees who work diligently and support me while I am away.  Without all the love and support of everyone I know, I would have never developed the faith or courage to find myself in the place I am now.  I recognize all of you as contributors on this journey of seeking what is most valuable in life.  Thank you all, I look forward to sharing with you what we discover in the months to come.