Road Trip...

Lindsay and I love to take road trips.  There's a certain coziness in the prospect of gathering the supplies needed to live in the car for a day or two.  Snacks (usually things we do not normally have in the house), books, movies, gadgets, not to mention  knowing that we will be "out of town" for even a short while. 

Putting everyday cares aside and replacing them with simple decisions such as where to eat amongst the hundred of choices, when the right time is to put your turn signal on when passing people on the highway, and which silly game to play with the kids as they seemingly grow roots in their car seats make the road trip an oasis from everyday life.

While the road can offer many fun times, it too has its drawbacks.  Sore muscles from sitting for hours,  restless kids, crazy drivers, bridges, waiting for the next rest stop or gas station when it's 47 miles away...

Bridges??

Some people don't like bridges.  I personally do not have a problem with them.  My wife, on the other hand, does not like them.  Not at all.

Whenever we come to a bridge she lets me know she is uncomfortable.  It's reasonable...I mean, you are travelling across a manmade structure over something that could be potentially dangerous. If it were up to her, there wouldn't be any bridges...but she knows.

She knows that the bridge is the only way to the other side.  She knows that she must be strong for her kids, so they don't get upset about the bridge.  She knows that there are others behind her that need to cross the same bridge, maybe in a different car and going to a different destination, but the same bridge nonetheless.

Lindsay and I are facing our Ella bridge.

We know we have to travel over this bridge to get to the other side.  We know that it is the only way to get there.

We know that there are dangers as we cross the bridge, we are privy to that.  Our kids are not.  They trust us.  Ava trusts us, Henry trusts us, Ella trusts us.  Ours is to seek the road ahead of us, ask for help when we need it, and look to God and each other for guidance.  Our children have placed this trust upon us with their loving existence.

We are not the only ones who have or will cross this bridge.  Others have come before us; we learn from them.  Others will come behind us; we blaze a trail for them.  

As we cross this bridge, we each have an idea of what the destination will look like.  We each bring our personal experiences and our personalities to the bridge.  In the end, however, we will discover the destination together & rejoice in it for what it is.

Over the years I have witnessed Lindsay getting better about crossing "real" bridges...she's taught me much.  I know that this bridge, our Ella Bridge, will be travelled with the love and support of so many.

We are fortunate people.