All who wander are not lost…..

Dateline: 1248 Marbles


Well, it is too late to turn back now.  As of December 31, 2014 I am officially retired from North Highland.  After fourteen amazing years and over 650,000 of commuting miles, I have decided to retire from the best consulting company in the world.  So why would I do it?

It was an extremely personal decision driven by several factors all converging at the same time.  The primary reason, is I believe God has something big and new for Ruth and me in my second half.  So what does that mean?  I really don't know.  I know sometimes God hits you with a 2x4 and you turn to Him because you don't have anything else.  That was more the case when I joined NH.  I was laid off from Knology and had no real idea what I was going to do.  The good news, is God knew.  After a few weeks, I got a call from Dan Reardon, a fellow Andersen alumni, who asked if I would be interested in a short term contract CFO role for NH.  I said sure and this short term engagement ended 14 years later after an incredibly fun, challenging and rewarding time.  God had something in store for me then and he has something in store for us, now.

This time, I think both Ruth and I are more open to his calling and anxious to find out what His plans are.  Sometimes it takes a crisis to hear God, sometimes you can hear him in advance and heed his calling. It is our prayer that it is the latter.

Due to my commute, I have never been able to participate in LaGrange like I would like.  I love LaGrange and the community.  It is a great place to live and raise a family.  However, I feel it could even be better.  I want to take advantage of my time off to see how I could get involved in my local community and make a meaningful difference.  

Another opportunity Ruth and I want to consider is a real passion we have for central america and specifically, the country of Nicaragua.  I can not tell you why.  We have travelled several times to Nica and just fell in love with it.  So much so, we are leaving January 14th for a 10 week exploration of the country.  We are gong to travel all over the country to get to know the people, the culture, explore business and mission opportunities and maybe even learn a little spanish.  We end the trip joining our church in Guatemala for a mission trip.

Another reason for the drastic change is timing.  They say timing is everything.  The time seems right to  do something big.  At NH, it was probably time for someone else to say "no" to a great and challenging   CEO!  Hunter is off at Texas A&M and spends most of his summer in Texas so has effectively flown the coop.  Rachel on the other hand is back home after graduating from UGA.  She is applying to dental school and is in LaGrange working for a great local dentist.  This means she is home and can watch the farm while we leave for an extended period of time.  The kids are still in school and aren't married so there are no grandkids on the horizon.  Everyone says they will change everything once they are born.  The last timing element is my parent's health.  They are in great shape and God willing, will be so for many years to come.  Ruth's parents are a little older but are doing okay.  In any event we will be the same short flight away if needed.

So that's it.  The timing is great and we are anxious to find out what God has in store for us.  The journey has just begun so if you are interested following us, check in to this blog regularly  I promise most posts will not be this long!  We leave for Nica on January 14th to start the journey.  I leave you with the immortal words of Bilbo Baggins "All who wander are not lost".  That sums up the next few months for Ruth and me.