Brave Enough To Be Bliss

stay so I could actually get out on the water, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was quite cold and some of the water flipped up on me as I was paddling. I wished I could have been out there for hours but was so glad I had the experience. We went to unique restaurants, watched a Chiefs game at a local bar, climbed Sleeping Bear Dunes, drove through the beautiful Tunnel of Trees, visited lots of small towns and saw more lakes than I can even remember. He suggested he take my photo at some of these places which I thought was very thoughtful, and I was so appreciative of being able to capture the memories. We walked through the downtown stores and he encouraged me to go anywhere I wanted.

“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” André Gide

I frequently thought about how crazy it was that I was even there and how randomly it all came about. I was grateful to be there seeing all these beautiful sites and enjoying time with someone who talked so openly about his faith, his family, his past and everything else. He had a difficult childhood, and the challenging family relationships persisted. The first day I was there, he gave me the option of riding along to a therapy appointment with him and then seeing the sites in that town. I said I would go, and he was quite open and reflective both before and after the appointment. He commented that I was a good listener and also asked good questions. I enjoyed learning about him and admired his vulnerability. He had been honest from the start that he was picking up work in Michigan and Kansas City, when he was there, but primarily he was living in his vehicle. Some people would have judged him for that, but I was more intrigued as he told me about his experiences living that way for several years. He said he wanted to find a permanent position in Kansas City to be close to his sons and had been applying. He had had a couple interviews but nothing had materialized. He mentioned needing to update his resume, so I offered to help him with that since I had time not working myself. I got it finalized for him before heading to Michigan and felt good about helping someone who was trying to help himself. Nathan knew I went to a Methodist church in Kansas City, so he randomly selected a Methodist church about 30 minutes from where I was staying. There were other Methodist churches we passed to get to this one. He had never been there before or heard anything about it. Horton Bay Community Church was a very small church compared to where I attended in Kansas City. The people were very welcoming when we came in. There were maybe 25 people there, but it felt familiar and comfortable for some reason. “Making someone feel seen, heard and understood is the loudest way to love them.” Wild Faith

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