2 years and 30 miles west

It's funny how our world is in perpetual motion. Things never stop changing; they never stop moving forward. I look back just two years ago when my life was completely different and see a kid who has no idea what's about to come his way. I feel like if I ran into him at a coffee shop we would have hardly anything in common. There's nothing I would really be able to relate to him about because he wouldn't have these past two years. My every response would sound like "Yea, that's cool but then....happens." I don't know if I was innocent back then or just naive. No one could've ever imagined that two years and thirty miles west would change a life so much.

It's sad how many people say they were raised Catholic. They spend so much of their childhood doing something, then as soon as they have the freedom to choose for themselves they left it all behind. Maybe it's the institutions fault for not creating something that stands the test of time or prepares their followers for new experiences in life. I once spent 4 years building my life around an institution and the minute it was taken away from me I hardly knew where to go next or what to do with my life. I was like a toddler who was taught how to walk and talk then was left on the street corner to start his own life. It's hard to value something that you can't take with you and certainly doesn't stand the test of a lifetime in this world.

However, I can't knock my institution too much because it did reveal to me the one foundation that can help anyone survive the roughest of journeys that span at least 30 miles and last at least several years, and that one foundation is Christ. The only thing that me and that 2 years younger version of myself have in common is the understanding that no one makes it through this life unscathed and the only way to make it through the gauntlet of life is with the love, guidance, and support of our Father. While the me 2 years ago doesn't exactly understand why this point is so crucial, he will soon find out. As I think back I'm reminded of how blessed I was, and still am, to be so sheltered by His love. Things haven't been easy but I simply can't deny that I'm alive and well today because our Father loves to take care of His children. Some days that's easier for me to comprehend than others, but today I feel it ever so clearly.