this crazy road.

 hello and happy friday!

this week i have broken my little phase of writing & posting a picture every day. it wasn’t intentional to begin writing & posting every day, and it wasn’t intentional to stop. but, things happen as they happen, ya know? and this week, for whatever reason, i have been preoccupied, busy, and a tad bit uninspired. i believe this is the only picture that i have taken this week, as my camera has been sitting on my shelf since last weekend. yes, a tear is running down my cheek… no pictures = boring to me. but this one picture that i have is actually quite appropriate… i’ve been at my internship it feels like for the whole week. so, the shot of me with a cup of coffee at work pretty much sums it all up. yep.

it hasn’t really been a boring week, though. i mentioned in my previous post that i had an interview at a church. well, i had it & it went well! now, i’m waiting for the official “you’re hired!”, which comes after a church board meeting next week. that’s right. i made it through my blended english & swedish interview/conversation, and in september i will begin working part-time as a children’s & youth minister at the methodist/baptist congregation here in norrköping!

i have one word to sum up how i feel: crazy.

i’ve been thinking a lot about timing this week. three years ago (almost to the day), my love (who was not my love at the time, or she was, but i didn’t know it yet. hehe. another story for another day) and i moved to denmark. yes, i had left all things comfortable & secure (my home, my job as a minister in a church, my family, all my belongings) and moved to denmark. why? to follow a dream of 13 years. to follow  a sense of calling that i was meant to live at some point in europe. to follow the desire for adventure and a new culture. to follow my soul… even though i had no idea what was in store for me. i did have some connections to the city where we moved (odense), and there was the possibility that i could be hired at  the methodist church there. but, after some time, the church and i both knew that it wasn’t going to work out. there was no money. damn you, money. so, after my tourist visa was up, i moved back to the states… shockingly feeling that it was the right thing to do (though i had to leave my love – who was now my love – in denmark. yet another story).

three years (almost to the day, remember?), one amazing marriage, one year of teaching again, one fantastic move to sweden, one rejection from the UMC to be ordained, and a lot of confusion later, it looks like time has finally made a way for me back into the church… a place i wasn’t even sure i wanted to be again. but, it all just happened. and i am certain that it is meant to be. i am humbled and overwhelmed… again.

you know, sometimes the road is long and confusing and heartbreaking and not the way you planned it. but, every step is worth it. the journey is definitely not boring. never give up. never lose hope. never doubt where you are (or at least try not to. i personally suck at this). you have no idea where today may lead. and if you are faithful to yourself, to your soul, to the deep callings and desires in your heart, and to the belief that you can & will be used no matter where you are, the journey will always be more amazing than you had planned, or even imagined.

what if i had gotten that job in the church in denmark 3 years ago? oh, sure i would have been happy in that moment. but, i would have missed out on the past three years, and all they have had to offer me. yes. life always leads us down roads we don’t expect or plan, but i guarantee that those roads, if we are willing to explore them & take the risk into the unknown… those roads, will lead us to the most amazing views that we might miss if we refuse to fight on.

so, keep on walking. keep on journeying. goes where the wind blows. follow the road less traveled. and stay true to yourself.

as for me, who knows what comes next in my journey? i certainly don’t. but, i’m more than ready to take the next step.

peace along the road.