Our family is on a  journey. It's path is winding and sometimes steep. Like when we have to say goodbye at an airport or when we aren't a doable-drive-away for a visit on a college-fall-break-weekend. We feel this bumpy path when we have to work extra hard to communicate because of busy schedules and time zone distances. It can feel burdensome, a heavy load. Like when our kids have to pack up all their belongings in a cardboard box, because there is no place nearby for them to come home to. There are times when I am tempted to quit trudging forward, when I want to turn around and go back. Like when our kids start having kids and we know how little time we'll get to see them or when the calendar reminds us that we've missed yet another holiday together as a family. 

But there are other times that this journey is joyous. When we see glimpses of the sunrise in the peaks ahead and the panoramic view is just breathtaking. When we see how this road has molded character and commitment, confidence and charisma in both us and our kids. When we see how enriched our lives are from the depth of experiences we have had. When we get treasured days together to fit in all the missed love and chats of the past. When we see that our kids are positive about missions and ministry. When we see them living well and we celebrate the good relationships.

It is this journey that our God walks with us. It is this journey that He has called us to. And it is a journey that He walks with each of our precious children as well. In His sovereignty and goodness, has called them, not just us, to this journey. 

He will guide them when we can not. He will help them with the heavy loads when we can not. He will give us grace to weather the losses, to grieve and to heal. To choose thanks and to focus on the blessings.  Whether in the hill tops or in the valleys, we know God's ever-watching care holds us steady as we keep stepping forward in obedience and trust.