I talked with a few friends from Kalamazoo over the last week who asked how it’s going.

It’s going well, praises be.

I have the best partner in the world. She is my teammate, my best friend, my B Ritt. I love her so much, and not just the warm fuzzy kind — the kind that you have from a weird spiritual/emotional/physical/experiential connection that I didn’t know existed until recently. It’s something I’m thankful for every day. We face every day as a team, going from adventure to misadventure, strength to weakness, to strength again. We rely heavily on the grace of Jesus.

No other way to work it, y’all.

We’re not without our tough spots. Merging a family is challenging. Dealing with trauma is challenging. Finding a meal that everyone actually likes is challenging (the closest is pizza, which is nutritionally dubious at best).

Brittany and I continue to focus our efforts on building a new home, metaphorically speaking, which is about as joyful and messy as any construction project can get. It’s the smell of new paint in one room, and drywall dust and splinters in your bare feet in another.

We continue to work toward building a new home, literally speaking, for Lexi. We’re so excited for Hope Farm and the promise of a home for Lexi and friends that provides the love, support, and dignity that every adult deserves.

I don’t have a job yet, and that’s ok — I’ve got my hands full. My family is my church, the living room our sanctuary. Our fellowship hall always has good food and some table games available. And, like every church, we keep our teens in the basement, except that our basement has egress windows and no asbestos.

This month is Brittany’s birthday, which I’m excited about celebrating with her. She thinks that 34 is old, which I used to think, roughly 10 years ago. A friend asked if I dye my beard. When it’s the only hair you can “do something” with, you try to make it work. So yes, of course I do. And rightly so.

I’ve been making RadCasts again, those 3 (or 5) minute devotional videos. People are supportive. I hope it helps — I know it keeps me accountable and sharp. A self-appointed ritual, it feels most at home for me, as I love Jesus, the Scripture, and trying to figure out how these coalesce in our lives. I also like trying to remember how to spell coalesce.

I’m drinking coffee from my favorite mug — the old faithful one that I use almost every morning that came from Water Street Coffee in Kalamazoo. It was a gift from friends in, you guessed it, Kalamazoo, which is why I started this post to begin with.

I’ll tell you more about the kids next time. Each are on a journey that quickens in pace every day. Some of them are almost bigger than me and I’m slightly intimidated.

Meanwhile… how are you?