I’ve started a few of these. Through studying journalism, I was taught that you have to have a brand. But how can your brand be truly yours when you’re still trying to learn who you are, what you like and what you want to write about?
I feel like there’s this part of us that likes to put up formal fronts, so we can sound cool. Somewhere along the way, we lose our genuineness.
I grew up with the most wonderful (hear: I’m biased) family. And my grandpa – who was my dad on earth – loved adventure. He was constantly planning trips, sorting out different routes for the road. Talking about his past adventures to national parks, etc. He dreamed of having a home with an ocean and mountain view. He brought me up loving travel.
When I graduated college, he got sick. But a year later, he had the strength to go on a road trip out west to cover so many of our nation’s national parks. He told story after story of his life growing up (he shipped out at sea when he was 13). And we’d go and explore and stop at the most random – but best places.
I have my love of wander from him.
And always – always – when we’d see something that would give us awe, we’d talk about how amazing that thing’s Creator was. Because aside from my memories of traveling with Poppie, that’s why I love travel. I love seeing God’s handiwork in everything. I love how, no matter where you go, all creation is so different. You can hop from one state to the next, one country to the next, and every mountain range is a bit different. No two volcanoes are the same. The sea life in one part of the world is different from another.
I love seeing how God creates.
This world is constantly changing and so much of the brokenness of it monopolizes the news. Jesus is the hope for this broken world. His goodness is constant. Through every trial, every loss – He never leaves us or forsakes us. And with Him, no matter how lost or heartbroken we may be or our world may be, He is still good. We can still have joy because we know Him.
So I hope to tell the stories about some of my travels on here, but most of all I hope to point to the joy we can have in Jesus!
joynwander.com 