The End, and the Beginning...

Okay, so this has taken me a little longer than anticipated to get this last entry up onto the site, but I wanted it to be worth the time you spend reading it. What to even say after a 31 day trip? We traveled 7,719 miles, used 298 gallons of fuel, spent 115 hours driving, stayed in 16 different cities, passed through 27 different states, saw a multitude of national monuments and landmarks, and had 1 amazing, exciting, something-new-every-day adventure. It’s crazy to break down the numbers of a trip like this, but numbers are just that…numbers, and they don’t mean a thing. What means something to you are the memories and nostalgia you take away from a trip like this. I will never forget this trip, as long as I live. A trip with someone I love deeply, a trip that I’ve been planning since I was 12 years old, a trip that allowed us to see every corner of this great nation. We saw the Alamo, the Statue of Liberty, the original Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, the 3 tallest buildings in North America, and the fastest roller coaster in the world. We saw states we’d never been in, states we’ve seen time and time before, famous men, Blue Men, gambling/drinking men and street-corner religious men. We saw some high society, low society, down right rude society, hustle-bustle business society and laid-back beach-bum society. I think it’s safe to say you name it, we saw it. It was an absolutely amazing trip.
So what?
If you know me at all, you know I’m going to be spending the next 30 days trying to find some deep meaning to take away from this trip. What are we supposed to learn from this adventure? What is God attempting to get our feeble minds to understand through the opportunity we’ve been given for a vacation like this? And most of all, how do I convey that to you, my audience? I’ve been pretending to be a writer for years now. I’ve done religious blogs, political blogs, sports blogs, random blogs…it’s fun. In my opinion, one of the biggest things for a writer is who is the audience, and what are they taking away from what you have say. What is the purpose of what you are writing? There are millions of words to write and thousands of things to say, but does it all have some sort of benefit to the lives of those who are reading and listening. If anything is worth doing, then do it well I say. It’s hard to do anything ½ heartedly to be honest. Why spend the little amount of time we have here doing things that don’t really matter, you know?
So here you are, reading this final entry, and I’ve been trying to incorporate some sort of life-thinking lesson and/or message into many of these writings. That’s why it’s taken 3 days to get this up, I’ve been thinking about what to say, about what to write. I look at it as if I had a chance to say one more thing to you, what would it be?
I’ve followed the news while we’ve been on this little venture and it’s been quite a crazy month. Our world is in a weird stage. It’s like everyone is trying to establish their place in this world – governments vying for power, celebrities trying to out-do one another with the homes/cars/fame they claim, business managers and corporate CEO’s attempting to stay afloat and keep their businesses from turning into a complete bust, everyday people hoping that gas will stay low so they can afford groceries and the car/house/utilities bills. People are losing jobs left and right, families being torn apart right in front of the country’s eyes.
It’s just crazy.
And there is still good.
There are still people who are willing to stop what they are doing to take your picture on a bridge so you have a memory on the Las Vegas strip.
There are still people willing to stick their hand out so the elevator doors stops so you can get on.
There are still people willing to make sure you know what stop to get off at because you are unsure of where you are at in a big city.
There are still people who will let you into their stories, who want to hear yours, and will become insta-friends simply because it’s a nice thing to do.
There is still…good.
And that is what I hope we do – good.
And that is what I hope you do – good.
The headlines read of terror, murder, corruption, betrayal, debt, drugs, guns, war, sex…but there is still good, and that is encouraging.
Something that has really shocked me while on this trip was the number of times we had poor customer service. It has really just stunned me to see how many business hire workers who don’t take the time to make sure your time spent with their company is not all that it can be. The attitude that existed in some of the places we visited and gave our money to was astonishing – not just the Pep Boys incident, but numerous entities that barely acknowledged our presence in their place of business. And it’s fine, really. I’m not bitter, Rachel is not bitter, it’s just a matter of fact that we live in a time when people are more concerned with what their latest text message says than whether or not the customer is happy.
It’s a time when drivers want to cut you off at 70 MPH so they can get 1 more car length ahead in the middle of a traffic jam.
It’s a time when what the gossip magazine has to say is more important than helping someone trying to open a door for their wife while he holds onto 3 suitcases, a backpack and a food box while his wife struggles to carry 2 duffle bags, a mini-cooler and a laptop bag.
But there is still good. There is still generosity.
And I hope we all can find that good in each other, encourage our kids to practice that generosity that truly matters so incredibly much in our world.
If this trip has taught me one thing, it has taught me the how-to’s of being good, the how-to’s of being generous. It has shown me the situations when you should help, when you should drop what you are doing because someone needs you more than the situation you are in.
Now, it’s just matter of doing it.
It’s a matter of doing good, of doing what is generous.
If that matters to you – if being generous is something you find good, if doing good is something you think is right – then I would dare you to look at your life and see if generosity and goodness are parts of your existence.
Finally, I want to say thank you, something that means more to me now than it did on the day before our trip. Thank you for allowing what we have to say to be a part of your month of June, 2009. Thank you for thinking of us and taking the time to care about us. Seriously, every person who has read our blog, thank you.
If you will notice, the title of this blog is The End, and the Beginning. This is the end of this little honeymoon/trip/vacation blog, but it is not the end, period. I hope to continue this endeavor of writing, of inspiring, of pushing us to think. I want to keep on keepin’ on, if you will, in this roller-coaster we call life, and I want you to come with me. If you want to continue with me, please please please let me know, and I will get you the information you need to keep reading. It will not simply be words and lessons that I have to say, but I hope a conversation – a conversation in all things life, in things that matter to you and I, in things that we are concerned about as people and as friends and as families. Because I know that we all have important things to say, to listen to, to do – and what better way to go about those things than to be a part of each others stories. I hope that you will continue to allow me to share our story with you, my thoughts and feelings with you, and I truly hope you all will share your stories, thoughts and feelings with us. If you want to do this, if you want to continue reading, just let me know and I will get you that information. Thanks again to everyone.
From a road now traveled well,
With Love,
Josh and Rachel