Life Moves Forward

Since I posted the blog on my Viking Affair, several things have changed.  Most of them are very positive.  It’s worth a little perspective now that it’s been 10 months since my stroke.

First, we moved to Sanger, TX.  Sanger is on the outskirts of the DFW area, on the northwest side.  We made this move in order to get me closer to my clients and thus travel less.  This was a key move for us to insure that my job will not take away as much family time as it used to.  Thus far, it is working, but we are learning how to adjust to me being home more often…an adjustment we have all welcomed.

I also purchased a Light Sport airplane, an American Legend Cub, and have received my tailwheel endorsement.  I can finally fly again.  This is, in effect, the best part of the story for many reasons.  First, the past 10 months have been very tough for me, knowing that my aviating days were in question.  There was no greater feeling of relief than when I flew away in N1313V a few weeks ago, knowing that this part of my life was returning.  It also ties into my biggest concern about moving – how would we begin to rebuild our community of friends that we had developed over the past 11 years in Georgetown?

It turns out that the 2 are very connected.  We moved into an airpark community, and one of the first neighbors to introduce himself was Ken Volk.  A recently retired airline pilot, who is as full of life as anyone I know, Ken offered graciously to help me get the tailwheel endorsement I needed to fly the Cub.  In addition, he has been welcoming to me more-so than everyone else in the neighborhood.  Though our age and experiences are different, his open welcome to this tight-knit community have made all the difference in the world for how we transition to our new home.  He also happens to be a very skilled pilot and patient instructor – with patience not being my strong-point – the match has been perfect for my training.

Several others in the community have begun to reach out to us, and we are starting to feel more at home daily.  I was rather excited recently when a few guys have stopped by and knocked on the back door to say hi…that’s home for me.

We have also found a church to plug our family into and begin building a new place to work in ministry.  This has also netted new relationships that I value deeply.  The pastor and youth minister, Greg and Ryan, are great guys and have a solid vision for the future.  I am excited to be a part of where it is going.

As the move has started to set in, and we are now starting to get established, I have found that the best part of the last 6 weeks or so is that I am starting to transition from the stroke defining everything about me, and the side effects continue to improve.  It’s exciting to me to start to feel normal again.

Nothing too earth-shattering here, but wanted to write it down, mostly so I’d remember later – This past 10 months has set a new path for the Flippin clan, and I pray that God blesses this new path, those we are now living and working with, and us as well.