Finding Your Path™

New Digs

Hi Gang...

Well, DK and I have been in our new house for about 9 weeks and we love it. Location is great (for us) and the house is a dream. I posted a couple pics of the outside a while back. So, I thought I would share a few pics of the inside.

This is our hearthroom - first thing you see when you come inside.

That's the ceiling. The builder, Mike Dobbs, embedded a 9 foot antique door in the masonry. Amazing.

This is our kitchen.

This is one corner of my new office.

This is part of my action figure collection.

This is our "Zeeba" bathroom - the artistic touch of a previous owner. DK hates it. LOL Me? I'm trying to embrace it!

This is my best bud, Sam, the day he realized the house was cool. Before that, he spent all his time hiding in the closet.

Thanks for all the prayer for the move itself. It went as smooth as a move will go.

Your Brother in the Word -

Mitch

Big Picture

Hi gang -

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. As many of you may know, we moved about 6 weeks ago. In this post I'm going to share the big picture; later I'll come back and fill in with more info and details.

I lost my father about a year and a half ago. Since then my sister, my wife and I have been looking after my mother. We moved her closer to us and into a very nice retirement apartment complex.

She was doing very well for over a year... then she decided she no longer required her blood pressure meds. She quit taking them. (No, she didn't tell us.) Needless to say, she had a stroke this Spring and now has dementia. That necessitated our move. I'm now 10 minutes away from her instead of an hour and 10 minutes.

We are settling into our new house and our new life in town. Our next big event is my sister's wedding July 4th. I'm doing the ceremony.

After the wedding I'll be back, sharing about my cycling, writing (I'm working on 2 new books) kayaking (I've just started) our new digs - and I promise to post tons of pics. God has been by my side through it all, and I'll share about that too.

Below is one pic of my new endeavor... my very own "Cool Change."

Your Brother in the Word

Mitch

May... It's Gonna Be Busy

Well, after almost 15 years in the same house DK and I will be moving 45 miles north to Springfield.  God has really blessed us with this awesome new home.  Not only was it built by DK's favorite builder (Michael Dobbs) but it is in the neighborhood we have been wanting to move to  (three block from the trail head that I ride every week.)

I would like to thank all of you who were praying for us as we worked to put this together... and for those of you who didn't know, we ask that you keep us in your prayers as we pack and move over the next couple of weeks. My blog will be a little quiet until we get settled in.

Your Brother in the Word

Mitch

Blog Break: Over

Yes, I'm back. I've heard life can interrupt the best of bloggers (which I am not) and the past few weeks it certainly did just that. No, nothing's wrong. In fact, you could say things are starting to get exciting around here. So, it's time to kick this blog back into gear.

I've found a terrific new webmaster, so keep your eyes open for a brand new Finding Your Path™ website coming soon. Our old web host went the way of the dodo and took our first FYP site with it.

I'll be sharing new developments, too, so stay tuned...

Your Brother in the Word,

Mitch

I'll Be Back Soon

In case you've wondered why I haven't posted much in the past two weeks, my wife, DK, has been undergoing medical tests.  Good news - they've all come back clear, but she will be having surgery this week.  DK is not a patient creature and does not do "down time" well, but she'll be stronger than ever when we're on the other side of this. I appreciate all the prayers and good wishes sent our way.  You are all truly good friends. I'll keep you posted and will be back just as quick as I can...

Your Brother In The Word, Mitch

Update: February 21, 2007

A very exciting development to report: My agent, Jim Brawner, and I have had a lot of interest in using Your Path To A Job as a teaching tool for small groups. The practical information presented in this book can be easily adapted for any audience.  Here are just a few examples:

• Christian High School
• Church Youth Groups
• Homeschool Class
• Urban Outreach
• Church Small Group Study for Men, Women, Seniors, Immigrants, Youth
• Addiction Recovery and Reintroduction Programs
• Prison Ministies

I'm sure you can think of more examples.  In response to this interest, I am working on a simple Teaching Companion that can be used to guide individuals who want to work through Your Path To A Job in a supportive group setting.

If you are interested in using this book as a teaching tool for your small group, send me an email findingyourpath@aol.com. Jim or I will be happy to talk to you about your needs.

Your Brother in the Word,

Mitch

Time For An Update

I haven't done much to market my new book.  Actually, I haven't really gotten started.  My book, Your Path To A Job, literally came off the press the week before Christmas.  Four days after Christmas my father passed away suddenly.  Since then, my wife, DK and I have been swamped with all the details that must be taken care of, legalities, plans for Mom's future, plus the mourning process itself.  Six weeks later, things are beginning to smooth out...

We've moved my Mom into a brand new Senior complex 30 miles from our home.  It's located in the same town my sister, Vickie, lives in; in fact, it's right across the street from her salon.  Mom is happy in her new apartment and I don't believe she is dreading her future any more.  She's come to the realization that she will have a life without Pop... maybe even a good life.  I'd say we're about two thirds of the way through this transition, and we're well on our way to finding that "new normal" my wife talks about on her Flyover Blog Finding A "New Normal

So now, it's time to get back to marketing.  I have a new book to sell, and it's a good book!  At Christmas, I sent a few copies out to writing friends for review.  I also gave away a dozen copies through the Thursday Thirteen meme a couple of weeks back. I'm starting to get feedback and it's better than I ever hoped for.  The comments have been humbling and gratifying.  I'll post those in the next few days, and I'll be sharing feedback with you as it comes in. 

2007 did not start out the way I planned.  We were thrown a curve ball, a big one.  That's the way life goes.  But I am beginning to see dawn on the horizon; I believe it will turn out to be a great year for us all.

Your Brother In The Word,

Mitch

Thursday Thirteen Update, As Promised

My Thing NOT To Give Your Valentine

This is a follow-up to my TT list entitled, "13 Things NOT To Give Your Valentine".  One of the blunder gifts I listed was an actual gift I gave DK shortly after we were married. I asked you all to guess which one it was.  Only one person guessed correctly; that was Tug at http://justtug.blogspot.com.

My Valentine’s blunder gift was #7 –“New tires for her car.  You think it will show you really care about her well-being, but it will really pi$$ her off.”

Now, I would like give you an update.  As Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story -

My sister’s fiancé lives about 300 miles away, one way.  She went to visit him last weekend and for Valentine’s Day he bought her a new set of tires for her SUV. She loves them!

So, I guess the moral of this story is:

The gift is only bad if she does not like it.  (Several of my Thursday Thirteen readers reminded me of this.)

Thanks for the Read.

Mitch