To everything, there is a season.

My personal favorite, currently, is fresh garlic. Although I'm a long-time fan of onions. Which is at least related, I guess.. so probably anything in that family would go over well with me. Garlic, onion, chives, leeks.

But that's not why you called.

A new season, unrelated to garlic, is upon us here in the Cap house, and I thought I should take a moment and reflect. (This would be your moment that I'm taking, so I hope you're not too busy. Or too difficult to entertain.)

Deb accepted a job today.

(B'JAM!)

So we are officially no longer in danger of having live in a cardboard box underneath an overpass.

Not that we ever really were. Seriously. God's been plenty good to us, in one way and another, and we haven't really suffered any financial hardship. The only way we've suffered is emotionally, and that, really, is our own fault. We knew in our heads that everything was going to be fine, but sometimes even when you know things in your head, it's hard to convince your heart.

And so begins the next season of life.

It's not such a big deal, I guess. It feels like we've never been in stasis. Not since we began all this business back in the early 90's. But this is a little different. It's been about 15 years since Deb and I have been pointed, as persons, in these directions--her as a career woman, and me as a musician (which is where the bulk of my focus will be, but i'm still going to have to be a painter, writer, etc... or we'll probably have to find that overpass, after all).

Fifteen years--a long time by most standards, and with a lot of additional complications. There's a family here this time. All the kids and school stuff still needs to happen. Budgets still need handled. Calendars must still be kept. Mortgages must be paid. And then, of course, we're 15 years older, too. I'm not a person who believes that there's a time of life by which you're required to have all your crap together... but if I were... it's about here.

It's a new chance to succeed. A chance to fail. A chance to have faith, to fall down, to stretch and grow and learn new things about ourselves and the world and God, and how those all fit together. It's both exciting and terrifying. There will probably be some crying involved. But I guess it's also the most satisfying part of life, and the most satisfying way to live.

If you can get over yourself. Which is the biggest challenge in it all. : ]

And those are my reflections today, at least right now, on the situation at hand. I'm sure I'll have a few more, 'cause I'm a guy given to reflection and analysis. That's just how I roll. But for now this is where I stand--excited, frightened, very proud of my wife. (Who is, you know, totally The Best. Period. And she's going to do awesome, because she is awesome. I'm completely psyched for her.) Standing on the edge. Glad to see the end of this passing season and ready to bore headlong into a new one.

Buoyed by grace. Thankful for love.

And pretty sure that garlic isn't even really, technically, a seasoning.