The Long Road Ahead

Departure
Four years and four months ago, I arrived with my family in St. Louis. It was a new chapter in our lives, one that we were excited to write. We came, and we saw. We lived and we played, and we made new friends. The central key that was missing, however, was our whole-hearted acceptance of it being home.  After a few years went by, we couldn't help but miss living in the Pacific Northwest, where many other friends and family reside, and a longing began to build in our hearts.

Now, however, circumstances have changed, and this recent chapter in our lives has come to a close, and we move onto the next. Through difficulty and great struggle, we are returning to Washington State, leaving behind sincere friends and a priceless experience.  Words would do it little justice, however, for what can you say about an experience that forces you to grow, and delve past the exterior, to find the beauty beneath. Thus, once you make that dicovery, you see that the mission was worthwhile, and can move forward, feeling justified.

Here I am now, at the end of that great chapter, of that rewarding mission, opening the cover to the next.  Alas, the journey has begun, and there's a long road ahead, full of grand adventure!