New Location, New Life

We left Gettysburg, PA on 10/7/2023. It was a much easier ride than the one that brought us to Gettysburg. There weren't any roads that we didn't belong on and the trip was as fluid and easy as could be expected. I did not grow anymore gray hair, thankfully. We headed out for our next destination which was Virginia. So far we have driven about 1700 miles and it has gone pretty well. However, sometimes Pam can't watch when she gets nervous and sometimes I can't either but that's a completely different conversation. If you want to yell at me for not watching the road, get in line because Pam sits right next to me and "helps" with that (j/k Pam!). In any case, why did we head for Virginia?

Great question! One of the many reasons was to visit this guy. He is Pam's Uncle Kenny. He is 93 years old and gets around better than I do at 53. We went to see him yesterday and we asked if there was anything he needed help with while we're here for two weeks. He stated that he could use help with hoeing and weeding in his garden. I have a bad back, sorry Kenny, you'll have to complete the job on your own! This 53 year-old body doesn't work like it used to so your 93 year-old body will have to due until someone more fit for the task is available. We visited with Kenny for a couple of hours before heading back to the camper, leaving behind a disappointed uncle who could use help. The campground we're staying at is only about fifteen minutes from Kenny, so it works out well. Hopefully we'll be invited back if he isn't too upset with the lack of help. The campground we're staying at is a different sort altogether.

Each time we move, in our vast experience of two weeks of travel and 1700 miles, it feels like we have started life anew. The last place in Gettysburg was crammed in, I could almost touch my neighbor's camper from mine (well, maybe if I was Stretch Armstrong).

We find ourselves in the midst of new people and a new vibe each time we move. We are currently nestled on a mountainside in northern Virginia just south of Staunton. Most of the trailers here are taken up by people who have decided to squat permanently, but there is space between trailers (our neighbors don't bang their door against our trailer when they open it). We are truly blessed to live the life we do, but for what purpose has God sent us on this journey? I quit a job that I loved in order to fulfill this life we have. Some may say that that was not a wise decision, while others will say to go and live our dream. Living our dream is great as long as there's a purpose behind it outside of ourselves. It has yet to be revealed, but we have open minds and open ears to the idea that we're doing this for some purpose that would please God and serve His purpose. This is why the title "New Location, New Life" was chosen for this article.

Perhaps we will come across someone who desperately needs to hear the News, or maybe we will come across people who are struggling with addiction (I am a licensed alcohol and drug counselor which is the job I left and loved) and they need some guidance. I don't know, but we have to have a purpose in all this. We sold most of our things, including our home, and uprooted from Minnesota to become nomads traveling across the country aimlessly like a couple of football players who were just concussed and don't know which way the bench is while walking, slouched, towards the wrong endzone and drooling. We're simply trying to go in the right direction but don't know how to find it without help. 

Our new surroundings are peaceful and quiet, the two weeks will go by quickly I fear. We arrived two days ago and it still feels like we just got here mere hours ago. Of course, we're in the countryside in Virginia so there's nighttime shooting going on nearby. What could possibly go wrong? The people who we have met here have been very nice and helpful. One of the things people who are camping like to do to pass the time is watch people back up their trailer to see how many times it takes to get it right. Each time we park I ask Pam if she wants to back up the trailer into our new spot, and each time the answer has been "no." This time was no different. 

She is understandably nervous about people watching her and judging her for her backup prowess (or lack thereof). Here, there was a single couple outside in their squatting position within view of us backing up. Pam wasn't having any of it. Nope, she didn't want to back up the trailer into our new surroundings and be judged upon first-glance by squatters. She holds strangers' opinions in the highest regard. I want to teach her how to drive this behemoth because there may come a day when she needs to know how to maneuver it. What if she kills me along the way and buries me in a shallow grave? How is she going to get home . . . wherever that is?  

We bathed this journey in prayer years before we left and continue to do so. Not only does it feel like we are newly living each time we move, but maybe, just maybe, there is someone out there who will find a new life because God put us in their path. Or, perhaps, it is you (the reader) who questions. Please feel free to leave a comment and/or share this blog with someone. If you feel a private conversation is more fitting for you, my contact information can be found by clicking the three little lines at the top left of this page. Blessings to you all, and thanks for following our journey.