01.02.08

Lyon, France

It is pretty strange to be typing 2008!It is even stranger to be back on the road again.My week in Paris with Amy was incredible and a week that I will remember for the rest of my life.I am always amazed at what is around each and every turn of my journey whether it is an incredible panoramic view, a realization of how important family and friends are, or that life is truly about Love.

I sat with Amy at a very colorful, festive restaurant on New Years Eve looking back at 2007. We spent a good bit of time reflecting on the fond memories, the painful moments the highs and the lows.As we sat and talked I realized again how important it is not just on New Years, but daily to look back on our journey and see what we have learned and maybe even learn some new things in the reflection.As someone once said, "it is not the experiences that we learn from, but looking back on them". I have come along way in the past year and have learned so many valuable lessons.I take comfort in the knowledge that my life is constantly in motion, I am always moving forward and no not just on a motorcycle.I am spiritually more aware, I have grown up just a little bit more.You don't have to be traveling around the globe to constantly be growing and becoming the people we are all meant to be.The only catch to this is that there will never come a moment when we are all grown up!This is a life long process.So for the rest of my life I am looking forward to looking back and seeing where I have been, how I have loved, how I have grown.

Not only is it important to look back and reflect I also think it is important maybe even more important or rather the next step to look forward.If we do step number one without step number two it is not a complete process.So Amy and I sat together looking forward at our lives to come, looking forward to our journey in 2008.

It is pretty exciting to really not know what lay ahead, but have faith that when 2009 comes you will look back and be amazed at how far you have come!I walk forward knowing that the Lord is in control of my life and his spirit will lead me, all I have to do is walk without fear.

So here I sit in Lyon, France catching up on some emails, banking and trip planning and I wonder where I will be tomorrow.I think I will continue my journey south to warmer weather hitting the pont du Gard a huge aqua duct and Avignon and really neat walled city (as if I have not seen enough of those yet).I have been looking over my map looking ahead and realizing again that this journey is not about seeing places, it is about going places.

I want to wish everyone the happiest of New Years and I hope that at some point you can all look back at 2007 as I have and see how important it was because it brought you to where you are right now today.It is interesting that neither Amy nor I had any regrets!We both realized that each experience good, bad or indifferent has it's purpose and maybe in 2009 we will realized it.