Breathless

Tomorrow I fly home. I absolutely love to travel. If I flew home on a Wednesday and someone said ‘hey, I have an extra ticket leaving Saturday for …., wanna go?’ I would say ‘yes!’ I even go to obscure places like Moline, IL and Des Moines, IA. But tomorrow, I fly home and leave a little piece of my heart. I leave Los Angeles California, home of Mosaic LA, MSC, my new friends and Shane, which all go kind of hand in hand.

See, Shane is our ‘chosen one’, in that we didn’t give birth to him, but he is our son. Shane actually entered our lives as an adult, but has become such an integral part, that we have declared him son. I can’t imagine life without him, and I cherish our friendship. He introduces me to everyone as his ‘Florida mom’ and when they ask, he explains he has his mommy Peg, in Michigan and then he also got a mom in Florida. One of his friends made the comment that it takes a lot of moms to raise that boy! That being said, he was the catalyst that began this whole adventure.

Shane’s story is interesting and actually will be a blog in and of itself, but this one is about me and that little piece of my heart! So, in a nutshell, after living with us in Florida for a bit, Shane and Douglas (his amazing best friend) moved to Los Angeles. With no place to live, no jobs, and primarily to serve and attend Mosaic LA, they just loaded Douglas’ car and moved across country. It reminds me of the move of settlers in the 1800’s as they loaded up possessions to head to California to strike gold.

Shane had happened to find Mosaic LA through a series of events, and had begun following and listening via podcasts to Erwin McManus. He felt the pull to move out there and join them.

Of course the exposure to Erwin and Mosaic LA was contagious and I began following along first with podcasts and then on the app and YouTube.

Mosaic LA started a yearly conference last year, and I was unable to attend. So, this year – I totally didn’t want to miss it! I had hoped that Ken, Jorjia and Michael would be able to go too, but their schedules didn’t allow it.

So, I helped set things up so that I wouldn’t be missed much while I was gone (rides for ball, nurse for mom, etc) and boarded a plane to come see Mosaic LA live for the first time, and Shane since he’d just gotten back from London and of course the beaches!

Oh my goodness! This photo is of El Matador State Beach in N Malibu. It was incredible! Shane and I drove up Pacific Coast Highway and parked and hiked to and from the beach. It was so worth it! I had been to Santa Monica by the pier and to El Segundo beaches while Shane worked, but was so glad he promoted for us to do this!

Then he said I absolutely must hike to Griffith Observatory and see the sun set on the city. (I’m totally going to blog seperately about that another day! So many nuances to share there!) I think I fell in love a little more as I took in the lights and darkness, grit and grind, nature and industry, fast pace and peacefulness – a mirage of life in the fast lane enveloped in the vastness of creation surrounded by beaches, mountains and humanity.

All of that was a majestic closure to a week of breathtaking experiences. Have you ever felt so in tune with your creator, your purpose and humanity that it simply took your breath? That was exactly what I felt this week.

From the inspirational line up of speakers : Erwin & Kim McManus, John Gray, Jentezen Franklin, DawnChere Wilkerson, Bishop Dale Bronner and Chris Durso, to the original music of MSC, to all of the wonderful people I met, to culminate into a completely soul refreshing weekend! I worshiped, I prayed, I fellowshiped. it was exactly what I needed, like a drink of water on a hot summer day, it refreshed my parched soul.

I met so many wonderful people and made so many friends, some of you are even reading this now (thank you! 😍). I can’t wait to come back and see you November 2018 for Mosaic’s Way of the Warrior conference!

MSC’s new song Into the Unknown has quickly become a favorite of mine, and I am thrilled that it will be available on iTunes on September 29!

Then today, Shane and I topped off our week with a day at Disneyland! Thanks to Ken’s benefits of working at Disney, I was able to use the family pass while in California. Since I am allowed to take 3 people with me, Shane and I decided to bless two friends with a day at the parks. Abi, Virginia, Shane and I had a blast. Both ladies were so much fun. It was Abi’s first time, which touched our hearts even more to see the joy on her face and hear her squeals and laughs on the rides. I have found over the years that giving of ourselves and our things always makes us feel joyous. Today was certainly that, we laughed and talked all day, and the friendships solidified.

Looking back over the week, I would like to share a couple of points, and also would like to encourage you to take action. First off, I had decided that it was vital for me to make it to this conference because I knew that it would change me inside and out. Second, I loosely planned my week to include alone time at the beach, also quiet time to blog, knowing that serenity and self reflection would add value to my trip. Third, I deliberately spent time with Shane, allowing him to challenge and encourage me to be all that I can be. Shane is that friend for me, the one that pushes me past my limits, encourages the victor deep within me to emerge, the one that helps me step into the Unknown.

Galileo once wrote, ” You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.” (Quoted from Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy)

My call to action for you, is take a few moments to yourself and consider these thoughts:

Have a Magical Day!

Amy