The Final Day

Wow. Instead of sleeping, because I am so tired, I am awake, sitting in our tent, looking at my beautiful and supportive family.

I am so blessed that these five souls are willing to come with me so far away and start a new phase in our life.

Making a move like this is not easy for anyone. You don’t know what the future will hold, how things will work out, or if you will even like the place you are moving to. But they have been so supportive.

When I came home from my mission, there was a lot of change and turmoil in my family. It was really hard to come home, but my mission president said that I didn’t need to worry about anything. He said, “When you start your own family, they will become the center of your universe, and nothing else beside them will ever matter.” That has been very true for me. They are the world to me, and I try hard to be a good dad and husband, even though sometimes I mess up.

I made a goal at the beginning of 2014 to be a principal of a school. Every vision of the future I had, I saw myself as a principal. I didn’t see any other future where I wasn’t a principal for the 2014-2015 school year. That may sound arrogant, and I have certainly been accused of over-confidence, but I see that as a positive thought process. It never crossed my mind that I couldn’t achieve that goal. It was just a matter of finding a district that was a good fit for my personality, leadership style, and personal goals. I went into every interview judging them just as much as they were judging me. Through much prayer, Staci and I found the place we need, and the place we are needed.

It would have been a lot easier to find something closer to home, but as Staci and I talked about what we wanted for the future, we realized that we wanted an adventure and wanted to do something big. We wouldn’t be content with something easy or convenient. We wanted an adventure. I think we found one.

Is it going to be hard? Yes, it is. I know that my first year of being a principal is going to require a lot of learning and long hours. That will be hard. We are moving far away from our friends and families. That will be hard. We are going to live on an island. Going from the high desert to an island will be hard.

But, we will have each other. To me, it doesn’t matter where I live as long as I have my wife and kids with me. If I have them, nothing is impossible, nothing is too hard. And that makes it worth every bit of struggle, because we will be together.

So, here’s to a great supportive family that gives me strength and confidence to do difficult things, and the power to accomplish those things. Here’s to a new chapter in our life. Here’s to a beautiful sunrise on a new day. At some point, the sun will set on this phase of our life, but the sunrise below reminds me that there will be a tomorrow and there was a yesterday. Just because the sun has set and is rising again, does not mean that all from yesterday is gone, things are just new and different today.

And for that I am grateful.