February 1, 2018
To all my snowbird friends, to the adventures, the fearless friends excited for the day they leave the safety of the nest: take heart, take hope! To Jerry and Sue, Mark, Jim and Julie, my parents, Don, Dixon and Julie, Scott and to all the other adventurers out there, take heart, take hope!
From my warm house and big bed I commend you, I admire you. I want to be more like you. Not fearless, but courageous despite the fear. Stepping out into the unknown, being very afraid, yet doing it anyway. Those of us left behind only dream of the adventure, the stories that will unfold before you and within you. And we are VERY JEALOUS.
You will have blowouts, that belt will break, you will get water drips we’re not supposed to and you’ll ask why is that wet?! it won’t start sometimes, it won’t hold weight supposed to, it will break at the most inopportune times. So what?! SO WHAT?!
May you find peace in the process, enjoy the journey for what it is. An adventure. And of course, adventure has cost. It always has a cost. Cheap it adventure is no adventure at all. To sacrifice something is what makes it great! Don’t be afraid to give it your all!
Life in the office, life on the couch, life at a movie is no life at all! May we all be shaken out of our comfort zones, pushed to new discoveries. New wisdom about ourselves, about the world around us and about God.
The best lives are meant to be like your motorhome trip across the country, or sailing the open ocean to Bermuda, or in the middle of nowhere on Lake Superior. Like all great journeys, our best lives are full of hope, terror, patience and of course ecstasy.
Thank you for inspiring me to jump from the safety of warm nest into the unknown. Together we dive blindly into the mystery, but it will surely be better than the safety, better than the mundane. May you roll with the punches, and fix it as it comes. Because you know it’s coming, you just don’t know when.
May you laugh at the struggles ahead. May you trust your unknown future to your known God.
“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
-Acts 5
Jake Tracy is a counselor, adventurer,and young life leader living in the fine town of Petoskey, Michigan. Looking to make the world a better place, one teenager at a time.
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