so the journey begins.
headed out today 6am with jim gribble, a great-hearted guy from our outpost (new hope community church) who is taking me to Springfield, MO.
- i’m amazed that its here. to think that just four weeks ago i wasn’t even a casual bike rider. since then…
- logged 400 training miles on three different bikes
- obtained my own road cycle for this trip
- received the incredible financial support from 6o different families and groups to result in meeting my obligation of $5,ooo.
- have had so many different conversations about leveraging each persons passions and gifting to make a difference.
need to thank so many who have invested, encouraged and pushed.
but especially on this day, i want to say thank you to my best friend and my bride, Melinda…and I love you. You see this journey begins on the 32nd anniversary of our wedding. crazy! So many good things we’ve shared (and some tough things too!) but together its been a blast. For some this may seem strange, but the character from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings offers me much joy…and encouragement. I’ve used his defining character in so many conversations…and i find it of a “peculiar” coincidence that Samwise joined Frodo on his amazing journey out of the Shire the day after Frodo’s (and Bilbo’s) birthday celebration.
lots more to say…so follow along.