It's been more than 25 years since that September morning in 1986. My parents, Richard and Susan, led my younger brother, Aaron and me, to the foot of Seaward Avenue in Ventura, CA, where the sand leads to the Pacific Ocean. From there began eight and a half months of excitement, frustration, joy and pain. In short, real life with a new setting everyday.
Mom and Dad had decided for us, to slow life down to a walk, literally. They were inspired by Peter Jenkins who wrote the book "A Walk Across America" in the late 70's. He took five years to journey through-out the US eventually making his way out west to the Pacific. Well, we certainly didn't have five years! But what we did have was my parents dreams of showing my brother and me that God has his people all across our nation and that we experience liberty and freedom unsurpassed throughout the world. In 1986, it was the height of the Cold War and America's economic engine was churning full speed ahead, but not without its challenges.
Dad and Mom spent over a year planning and preparing to leave home, work, friends, and schooling for one academic year. America would be our classroom. And what an incredible education it would be....
Today my wife, Cathleen, and I met my parents and brother and his three year old son, Daniel, back at the beach in Ventura where it all began. Although life took many unexpected turns, including the divorce of my parents, we shared an experience that was greater than the sum of our pain. Because on June 5, 1987 we became the first and only family to walk coast to coast across the United States of America. The people and places we saw, forever changed our lives for the better. Over the next few weeks, Cathleen and I will be retracing the route walked so many years ago. It's a different world today, but our nation still craves hope, freedom, and liberty...
To be continued...
Mom and Dad had decided for us, to slow life down to a walk, literally. They were inspired by Peter Jenkins who wrote the book "A Walk Across America" in the late 70's. He took five years to journey through-out the US eventually making his way out west to the Pacific. Well, we certainly didn't have five years! But what we did have was my parents dreams of showing my brother and me that God has his people all across our nation and that we experience liberty and freedom unsurpassed throughout the world. In 1986, it was the height of the Cold War and America's economic engine was churning full speed ahead, but not without its challenges.
Dad and Mom spent over a year planning and preparing to leave home, work, friends, and schooling for one academic year. America would be our classroom. And what an incredible education it would be....
Today my wife, Cathleen, and I met my parents and brother and his three year old son, Daniel, back at the beach in Ventura where it all began. Although life took many unexpected turns, including the divorce of my parents, we shared an experience that was greater than the sum of our pain. Because on June 5, 1987 we became the first and only family to walk coast to coast across the United States of America. The people and places we saw, forever changed our lives for the better. Over the next few weeks, Cathleen and I will be retracing the route walked so many years ago. It's a different world today, but our nation still craves hope, freedom, and liberty...
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| September 22, 1986 at the foot of Seaward Ave, Ventura, CA |
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