Dearest Friends—near and far,
As you know, the journey of the last 6+ years was an unexpected, slow goodbye to Liana—the bride of my youth and the love of my life. And, though God’s grace was present throughout the journey, the road was very dark and difficult.
The journey often brought to my mind the lyrics of an old Bruce Cockburn song:
“Sometimes the best map will not guide you
You can't see what's ‘round the bend
Sometimes the road leads through dark places
Sometimes the darkness is your friend
Today these eyes scan bleached out land
For the coming of the outbound stage
I’m pacing the cage”
These words resonated with me: I found myself often blindsided by the unexpected that was lurking “‘round the bend” on that unmapped and impenetrably dark road. And then, when Liana’s journey was finished, I found myself “pacing the cage”—merely waiting for the “outbound stage” myself.
But there was something else unexpected that I couldn’t see in the darkness on the broken road before me. But, to tell you that story, I need to tell you the story of another broken road…
Elizabeth & Steve and Liana & I were friends way back at Purdue. Elizabeth & Steve were newlywed, first-year staff with the campus ministry that Liana & I were involved with; and Liana and I were newly-engaged seniors. So, the four of us forged a certain bond as couples in similar life-circumstances with similar interests.
(Below is a picture of the 4 of us in the fall of ’85)
Our paths parted around ’87 when Elizabeth & Steve set sails to serve as missionaries in East Asia; and Liana and I followed the stateside ministry path that was ordained for us.
Now fast forward 35 years…
Steve passed away from pancreatic cancer within a few weeks of Liana’s passing. And Elizabeth and I began to exchange text messages of lamentation, commiseration, encouragement and prayers as we walked our concurrent broken roads of grief. Over the course of the next year, commiseration became curiosity, curiosity became widow and widower on a first-date, and a first-date has now become a wedding date!
That’s a really long story made really short!
Many of you walked that dark, unexpected broken road with me in your thoughts, love, presence and prayers. Thanks for that. It meant more than you may ever know. And now, I’m happy for you to share in the unexpected joy that I’ve found on the broken road.
Now, the words to an old Rascal Flats song resonate with me…
“This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you”
