Happy...anniversary?

Happy...anniversary? Is that correct? That can't be right, can it? Has it been a year already? Yep...it sure has.

What am I talking about? Maybe this will refresh your memory. Or maybe this will. Simplified, on November 30, 2011, I was wrecked...broken...and perhaps only a few millimeters (check out the 5th paragraph down) away from a very different life.

And a LOT has changed in the past year: my job, my home, my church. Practically, everything...except for the three crazy people (and one crazy dog) with whom I love living this adventure.

So, what do I say? What now? I recently read a quote from Robert Frost:

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on".

Life, is going on. I didn't even realize that it had been a year since the 'accident that changed everything' until my wife texted me about it a few minutes ago. I started thinking, which, this time at least, led to writing what you're reading now. In the past 365-ish odd days, there is no greater lesson than this: life goes on. There have been a lot of ups and, quite honestly, a few downs. The highs have outweighed the lows, and I'm pretty sure that's a good thing. I have health, my wife, my kids and my dog. I'm also pretty sure my wife and kids and dog are happy to have me around. I can walk and talk and sing and play my guitar. And all are very good things for me.

I still have faith and hope and love. I still have friends both old and new. The understanding of Grace still causes my heart to stir and brings a tear to my eye. Life has happened wicked fast this past year. It happened without my approval. It happened when and where it wanted. And thank God, I'm still here for it.

On becoming a "Yes" man

It's funny what comfort and safety bring to your life. It's also devastating, sad, easy and mostly, comfortable.

The family Long has taken some pretty big steps over the past 6 months. Some of those have been forced. Others, the result of just simply saying, "Yes".

And I find myself doing this a lot lately. Wanna move to the Detroit area for a job? Umm, OK. Want to come to a cookout with my family? Absolutely. Spend a little bit more to make sure you get the house? Yes. Go to the concert alone for a band you really had never heard of? Of course. Mountain biking? Sure...as long as you don't laugh at me.

We've been saying all along that life is an adventure. And marriage, kids, dogs, music, faith...certainly have been an adventure for the past 17 years. Here's the thing, though: I was never very good at just saying yes. There was usually a "but" or "maybe" or "I don't know". I never realized how much I hesitated until these past few months, when I've had to choke back that urge to hem and haw and hesitate.

So, I'm celebrating. And I'm celebrating something that we usually don't want to celebrate...I am a "yes" man. Or, at the very least, I'm no longer a "Hmm...let me think about that" man.

How about you? Is there something you're resisting the urge to say "yes" to because it's just a bit uncomfortable or unorthodox? Is there something you've said "yes" to that's stretched you a bit? Tell me about it!

Michigan and Modern Family

Michigan...and Modern Family. Doesn't really make sense, does it? Let me explain.

While we're waiting for school to be over (and for the rest of the family to move with me), I've been spending three weeks in Michigan working in the office and then one week working from home in Florida. Living in a hotel, renting a car, not very fun. And missing my family. A lot. But, the coolest thing has happened.

My wife and I have started watching the show Modern Family "together".

See, I have been hearing amazing things about the show and just have never had the time to catch up...until now. Having three or four hours to kill in a hotel room each night gives you all kinds of time to do these sorts of things. So, I was able to download the first two seasons of the show and began watching. And then, after telling my wife all about it...we ended up watching them, well, together. Each of us starting the show at the same time on our laptops and then texting, laughing and rehashing things as they happened.

It's been...magical. It seems that life is done differently from 1200 miles away. Car rides to school become the one time during the day when I can goof off with my kids on the phone and talk about what happened the day before and the day coming up. Nights are filled with text laughs while watching the same show at the same time with the same girl. It's a routine and it's probably as close to normal as we can get for the time being.

And it just works. We keep saying that this is the great Long adventure and that we can't wait to begin this new chapter of our life. What I now realize is that we're already doing it. It's different and sometimes difficult and never cheap. But, it's part of the journey that's already happening and modern technology makes it all possible to remain so connected, even while sitting "alone" in a hotel room watching TV episodes on my laptop. Or playing Draw Something with my very dearest friends and family. Or sharing the ride to school together with my boys laughing and being ridiculous and feeling missed and loved and so blessed.

Yep, I'm in Michigan. 1200 miles away from my family and friends. But still so very close to each of you. This is part of being a modern family...and enjoying Modern Family. So we're almost done with season 2 and I'm working on getting season 3 ready to go. After that, well, we should be just about ready to settle for simply watching TV together in the same state in the same city in the same house and on the same couch, no more than two feet from each other. And that sounds like my kind of adventure.