Sometimes life requires you to lean into the mystery. Six years ago, we moved out of our former home, the place where we had become a family of four and had been central to many of our fondest memories.

• Christmas mornings with the kids anxiously waiting at the top of the curved staircase to descend and discover what Santa had delivered.
• Al fresco dinners on our back patio with the koi pond and waterfall in our park-like setting.
• The family room that had been home to countless movie nights and before bed snuggles with freshly bathed little ones.
• The front room which had held many blanket forts and great, imaginary adventures.

The house was a wonderful place to land when we moved to Indiana eleven years earlier. We celebrated moments there to treasure forever. While it was difficult to leave, I also had a sense that it was time. I’ve written before of the longing I experienced for wide-open spaces and a deeper connection to nature. Our manicured backyard was lovely, but small and confining. There was a need growing in me for something different, for an unknown adventure that awaited.

Leaving that beloved home was an act of faith. We didn’t have our next step lined up, uncertainty was everywhere, but we took each step in faith. It meant leaning into the mystery and trusting, especially in challenging moments.

Six years later, we’re gratefully on our Iowa farm that we love – but it was not an easy transition. Two rental houses, a new school, new jobs, and building a home in the middle of a pandemic. There have been, and continue to be, moments of uncertainty but through it all – faith has been the anchor and the guide.

As the seasons change and summer begins to fade into fall, I lean into the mystery once more. Trusting the road ahead, seeing the gifts in each phase, each season.