Perspective

Forty. It has been two months and that still hasn't sunk in.

I remember when I was a boy about Liam's age thinking how old thirty was. Well the thirties have come and gone in a whirlwind of time and memories. A lot has changed in ten short years.

When I turned thirty I was not yet a father. Liam was born a few months later. We now have three (not-so-little) people roaming around the house, eating our food and robbing us of sleep. I am more tired than I was ten years ago, but cannot imagine life any other way.

When I turned thirty I did not wear glasses. Note I did not say that I did not need glasses. When I got my first prescription I realized I probably should have been wearing them for years. I remember putting them on for the first time and thinking how clear and sharp everything was, especially at a distance.

When I turned thirty I had been at the local architecture firm for about two years. Only now do I realize how little I knew when I first walked through those doors. I learned so much in those ten years and am so grateful for the men and women there that invested in me personally and professionally.

When I turned thirty Katie and I both drove small, compact cars. We now both drive minivans. In ten years I have personally owned and driven three different vehicles. The first, the Sentra, died prematurely of causes no mechanic was able to identify. The second was a Blazer a friend gifted to us upon the Sentra's demise. I am so grateful for that vehicle and it was so much fun to drive. I drove that until our third child couldn't fit in the back seat...

At thirty we were in the middle of the H1N1 pandemic. When I turned forty we found ourselves in another pandemic. Hopefully we can skip the one when I turn fifty.

When I turned thirty TECH was the farthest thing on my mind. I had no clue that at forty I would have been serving here for three years!

Ten years seems long ago and so much has happened. Yet it feels like no time at all. One thing is for sure, looking back I see how the Lord has guided our every step. He has used the good and the bad (yes, even pandemics) to show us more of himself and make us more like him. No matter where these next ten years take us, I pray that we would all see His goodness and glory through it all, no matter how bright or dark the days may be.