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Cold as Stone (3 Years Later)
Three years ago, our lives changed. We blindly boarded a plane with a few suitcases and a one-way ticket to live on the other side of the world. It’s hard to fathom that we have now called Switzerland our home for this long. There are days when it seems surreal, and there are days when it is very real. There are days when we feel grateful, and there are days when we feel the grind, and we complain (A lot). This past Sunday, the exact date we left 3 years prior, I sat and tried to come up with something to think about, write about, or at the very least…
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Merry Christmas
The crisp cold air that surrounded the house had no bearing on the excitement and smiles that my two boys had as they paced the hallway at the top of my parent’s stairs. The same hallway that I once paced waiting for my father to give us the go ahead to stumble dangerously down the stairs in haste to attack the presents waiting for us under the tree. The same butterflies in our stomachs. The same unknowing. The same anticipation that gave birth to uncontrollable smiles. It is and was the heart wrenching surprise and expectation of it all. It is Christmas morning. Christmas through the eyes of my two…
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Rounding Second Base
(Photo: The Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic: Good Friday, 2017) This post is a bit long, disjointed, maybe a lot of rambling, and yes, it might not make much sense, but in light of the week (Holy Week) and my last post, “Finding Freedom,” I was compelled to write it. I have recently found myself thinking of a few short stories that my pastor in the States would bring up, time and time again, hoping that it would sink in. Incredibly, life usually indicates whether you can receive the intended message when it is given to you. In other words, you can’t rush the meaning if you aren’t ready to…
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Year Two
And just like that, the second year has come and gone. It is hard to believe that we have called Switzerland home for two years. This year was an incredible year of travel (5 different countries), many great family visits, and tremendous growth and experiences for our two boys. Although much has remained the same from our first year (here is a link to that list), namely, the beauty of the country, the balanced pace of life, and especially making sure that we always have 2 CHF on us at all times for the WC, things have changed a bit during our second year—things that you can never foresee or…
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The Image
(The picture is inside of the Duomo di San Martino Cathedral in Lucca, Italy) There is an image that gives me comfort,I love it with every ounce of my being.Like a teddy bear or a blanket,I grip it tightly and bury my thoughts into its disturbing appearance.I have been drawn to its presence all of my life,I love this image with every ounce of my being. There is an image that I resist,I despise it with every ounce of my being.Like a teddy bear or a blanket,I am drawn to the comfort that I feel in my avoidance,I am addicted to the smile that is birthed when I dismiss it,I am…
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The Gray
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be older. Maybe it comes from my tendency to avoid the present, or maybe it is a desire for what I view to be simpler times ahead. Either way, I often think about what my life might be like 30 to 40 years from now. Turning another year older over the weekend brought me physically closer to this reality, but it hasn’t extinguished the desire. In some ways, celebrating my birthday has only further ignited my passion for simplicity. A passion to be at peace within the gray. If we pay attention to our souls, growing older forces us…
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Feeling the Falls
Photos were taken at Trümmelbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. They are considered to be the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. Growing up, I remember thinking that my tendency to be introspective was a deficiency, almost a sign of weakness. So much so that in certain circles, especially when participating in sports, I often felt less masculine. I had bought into the “men don’t feel, men don’t cry, men don’t show emotion” mantra. I remember feeling like I always had to turn off my thoughts but never could. As a result, my natural tendencies to feel and think brought about many insecurities. I am less insecure about it today, but I…
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Love Is
We use love in many of our sayings. We attach love to all kinds of emotions and feelings. We believe we love others when we are satisfied with how we order them into our world. We do these things believing we know what love is. We do these things believing we are in control. It is natural to try to control the very thing we desire most because, in some ways, we want to believe that having control will make us safe and secure. Safe from pain and free from feeling empty. But somehow, we know better. Deep down, we know that love can’t be caught and controlled. Instead, it…
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Opposites
It’s summer. Which means less structure. Late nights. Travel. And time to enjoy the warmth of the sun. For many of us we have spent the last few months counting the days until the first day of summer. Yet, after spending one week with our children in the house all day, it can also be the time when we count the days until school begins again. I am currently experiencing the second summer in Switzerland comprised of these types of days with my boys. Days in which I am both very grateful for and don’t ever want to change. For I know it is time that I will never get…
