It's All Relative

Today Becky had a great conversation with a group of people. It seems they understood exactly what we are doing and how we feel about it. They told stories about their families and lives, and felt the enthusiasm that Becky and I have about Our Trip. A friend of mine, let's call him Tom, related Our Trip to a graduation. I think that analogy works on many levels. If you remember your high school or college graduation party, you were surrounded by many people. A lot of them you didn't know very well, but they all had wonderfully encouraging things to say to you. They told you stories of the dreams they had, the things they did, and places they visited. They related to you, and that is exactly the kind of interactions Becky and I have been experiencing since we starting telling people about Our Trip. Not since my own graduation party have so many people made an effort to come up to me or call me and say something positive, inspiring or appreciative. It makes me feel very excited and encouraged to go out and see this country, not just for us, but because there will be so many people that follow along with us. To everyone that stopped what they were doing to say something to us about Our Trip, Thank you.

Dan

Family and friends get us where we're going

Our children are one of the biggest reasons behind taking a trip of this magnitude. When I reflect on that it brings me real gratitude for the people in my life who have taught me the value of family. From parents and siblings, to nephews and nieces, even my own children have opened my eyes to the unselfish, unconditional love of family.

A good friend told me recently "I'm convinced now more than ever that family is the most important thing." How perfectly simple.

There are a lot of problems in the world and we can dwell on them and try to help solve them but ultimately we have the most impact on the people closest to us - our family and friends. These are the people who get us where we're going in life.

So while it's true that Our Trip is just the four of us, it's taken generations of family members and countless friends to get us where we're going. Thank you!