Making the decision to move to Evart has brought all sorts of challenges, triumphs, griefs, and joys. Austin and I both agree living away from family and friends is by far the hardest aspect of country living. Lately, we have been missing the familiarity of genuine community and have been feeling the strain of limited interaction with others.
This weekend, Austin and I traveled up to Crystal Mountain with 15 of our closest friends that are more like family. A long weekend of intentional living in a community where we are known is exactly what we needed. There was limited cell phone use, with the exception of perfectly-timed pictures to help us remember epic wipeouts, selfies with strangers at the town bar, and snapshots we've taken every year for the past 5+ years. There was a lot of laughter and celebration, thanks to the Winter 2015 Boys vs. Girls Olympic Games, which obviously the girls won. There was a little bit of hiking, and a lot of drinking and napping. There was a lot of life and a lot of love. I have been reading Bob Goff's book, Love Does (thanks Jana). It has been the perfect aid as I strive to do life better than I have in the past. I love that my friends strive to do the same. Over the weekend, we dreamt about saving up to take a year off work to simply experience life, we planned camping trips to embark on this summer, we asked questions and listened to answers about what God is doing in our lives. We did love, and in doing love, we experienced true life through a community that has walked with us through a lot of challenges, triumphs, griefs, and joys. Bob encourages us with the following words: “Living a life fully engaged and full of whimsy and the kind of things that love does is something most people plan to do, but along the way they just kind of forget. Their dreams become one of those "we'll go there next time" deferrals. The sad thing is, for many there is no "next time" because passing on the chance to cross over is an overall attitude toward life rather than a single decision.” “Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving. It's about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That's what I want my life to be all about - full of abandon, whimsy, and in love.” Friends, make the single decision to live a life fully engaged, don't defer to "we'll go there next time." Go today and go to the extreme to express the bright hope that Jesus Christ offers us.
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Hi! I'm Haley. Archives
May 2019
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