Jacksonville's Light

Who knew i-5 South was such a pretty drive? Other than the torrential down pour it was actually quite lovely; rolling hills, beautiful trees, wide open spaces…and a lot of livestock. At one point Makenna and I look to our right…OH MY GOSH a flock of...meese?!? moose? Moosen?  (at dinner later that night we were told by my mom and her friend Linda, who decided to join us to Jacksonville, that they were actually elk! (way off!) guess that sums up the extent of our wildlife knowledge!)

Anyways, first kinda amazing story from Oregon. We stop in Keizer for lunch at Panera and as I’m sitting down I see a familiar face. Neighbors from the U-district…what are the chances?!? I guess it was just a small reminder that home is never far away and that pieces of it can actually meet ya right where you’re at!

Second, my mom and Linda drove with me and Makenna to Jacksonville because we are staying with one of their good friends Janet. Other than the fact that Janet is just all around kind and gracious, makes amazing soup and a mean ice-cream sundae…she’s a personal hero of mine. She has battled cancer 3 times and has recently decided to stop all treatment. From looking at her you would never know she is sick...she absolutely shines! As we sat and shared a meal and laughed about meese and elementary school memories I thought…what an honor to sit and enter into holy moments with this family. Her days left are few and she is spending them hosting weary travelers.

What a great reminder right off the bat of why I’m doing this. Meeting amazing people who remind me that we belong to each other, people who are bearers of hope …people who I have a ton to learn from, people who make this world better.