2020, and beyond.

We're now pretty solidly into the new year. Usually, I would have done some sort of new year post by now, but things have been pretty crazy, what with a wedding coming up on Saturday and all.....mine, that is, for those not in the know! But yeah, it's 2020. (insert mandatory vision-related pun here)

And yeah, I'm getting married in two days. In hours, it's.....41 hours, as of when I write this. I believe I introduced my wife-to-be at some point to you bloggers - if you've missed the ball, her name is Thalia (pronounced the same as Tahlia, it's Greek), and she's lovely (but I'm not biased at all). After we get married, we're heading down to Tasmania for about two weeks for our honeymoon. Pretty much everything is organised, thankfully (you'd hope so, two days out!) - though it has been a bit last-minute with some things. But everything is paid for, we have a house to live in (which is also really lovely), and honeymoon is organised (well, car, flights, and place we're staying are organised - we don't really have a strict itinerary).

After we get back, though, things will be rather different. Both of us have moved out of home before, but not into the same room as somebody else. Certainly not into the same bed as somebody else! The last time I was regularly sharing a room was 2007. I have shared a bed occasionally, but not often. It's going to be a fairly new experience for both of us. Then there's a new house to get used to - and sort through (we have a lot of stuff) - and jobs to get back to (yay!). Life likes putting lots of big things together.

We have some ideas about what life together could look like, and a fair bit of it we've talked through with each other and with friends and such. We've done premarital counselling as well, which was very helpful. But really, we're going to be making it up as we go. There are a lot of unknowns, and a lot of things that we're not sure about. Things that we'll have to find out when we get there. The future is murky, just like our view of the first sunrise of the year was.

For myself, I have work. And beyond that? I don't know. There are many things that I could do, or that I might want to do, or that I have ideas about. But it can be hard knowing which of them I might be able to do, or which I should do. Bit of a constant issue I've had, really. For Thalia, she'll be able to start casual teaching soon (well, half-way through the year), which she's looking forward to doing. She's also got a big prac coming up, which is going to stretch us thin pretty early. But it will be a good strength test, so to speak.

It might be 2020, but our vision certainly isn't. (Heheh....I got there) But that's okay. We don't journey alone, and our Father sees all of it ahead of time. He'll reveal the steps as we go.

Start Somewhere.

It feels like, these days, I don't say much. I don't do much.

Not because I have nothing to say; but because there is so much to say. There is so much to do.

I look out into the world around me, and many days, it is hard to find hope.

Fire ravages our land.

Greed rules our leaders.

People keep dying, every day....

So many feel broken, alone, lost, helpless, or hopeless.

So many struggle to get through each day.

Many days, that has been me as well.

And yet.

Yet I know that there is hope.

I know that there can be more than this.

And I know that I have much to give, much to share, to help and to heal - to bring hope.

To bring light, and life.

But where do you start, when there is so much pain?

So much hurt?

You start somewhere.

Anywhere.

Because that is infinitely better than not starting.

And, if in doubt -

Start with yourself.

And bring that change wherever you go.