Goodbye Maine... You're Not That Bad

It's amazing how fast the mental climate can change in our thought process when placed in different circumstances. I, for example, have grown up in the state of Maine and have lived there all of my 31 years. Ever since the age of 12, I have been waiting for my time to leave and move south. I have never been a winter person, I don't particularly find the cost of living feasible, I do not agree with the political mindset, and most of all as a performer the opportunities to do what you love are few and far between. Still though, on this last day in Maine, walking on Crescent Beach with my wife, I found myself shedding a tear. I felt the overwhelming change that was about to transpire in our lives as I watched the waves roll in and I realized that this was going to be the last time I saw the ocean for a long while. Now that I reside in Tennessee I am very excited about the new chapter in my life. This is my dream coming true. I'm not touring here anymore but rather I'm living here. That's a huge blessing. The ironic thing is that when I look at this picture of our last day in Maine my heart starts to bend just a little. I think of the ocean and the tranquility it can bring when you just sit back, close your eyes, and listen. I think of my wife and I having our traditional weekly picnic on Crescent Beach eating the Maine exclusive "Italian sandwich," made famous by Amato's Sandwich Shop. I think of our families left behind and the relatives that I haven't seen in a while that I wish I had gotten the chance to say goodbye to in person. I think of the many friends that I've been blessed with and my heart breaks that they are not here in Chattanooga with me. People may say that you can always make new friends. While I believe that to be true, I also know that the friends that I have are the kind of friends that I have been investing my heart into for years. Those kinds of friendships do not develop over night.

I think another reason why I miss Maine a little is because, while hating it growing up, I haven't minded it as much over the last several years and I owe that all to my wife Shanon. My relationship with my wife taught me to bring new association to the things of Maine. I think of Fall time in Maine when her and I first started dating and started our tradition of apple picking together each year.

It was because of Shanon that I stopped thinking of the county fairs as hokey and enjoyed walking around hand and hand with her looking at farm animals and riding a ferris wheel. The best Saturday in the world was spent in the summer time at Old Orchard Beach having a picnic with her and going wake boarding in the ocean, then sitting down with some pier fries and the best fried dough on the planet. It was a chilly night in November of 2003 when I proposed to her on that beach. We were the only ones there.

Could it be that we are in unfamiliar territory with very few people that we know and that is why I am reminiscing as much as I am? More than likely. I know that we are embarking on the adventure of our lives together. I was grateful that we were able to drive around and visit some of our favorite places in Maine before leaving the next day. I hope I have the same feelings for the northeast when we return in the summer next year.

It will take a while to adjust but we know that the Lord has led us here and we are trusting that He will help us settle. I feel like a child standing at the beginning of a long road and I'm not sure what is at the end of it. I can't see the obstacles and the gate is shut behind me. I also know that my Father has taken my hand and has lovingly said, "Let's go."

Andrew Peterson wrote these lyrics and my wife and I listened to this song as we drove away from our friends and left Maine in the still quiet of the night...

"Sarah, take me by my arm
Tomorrow we are Canaan bound
Where westward sails the golden sun
And Hebron's hills are amber crowned
So bid your troubled heart be still
The grass, they say, is soft and green
The trees are tall and honey-filled
So, Sarah, come and walk with me
Like the stars across the heavens flung
Like water in the desert sprung
Like the grains of sand, our many sons
Oh, Sarah, fair and barren one
Come to Canaan, come
I trembled at the voice of God
A voice of love and thunder deep
With love He means to save us all
And Love has chosen you and me
Long after we are dead and gone
A thousand years our tale be sung
How faith compelled and bore us on
How barren Sarah bore a son
So come to Canaan, come
Where westward sails the golden sun
And Hebron's hills are amber crowned
Oh, Sarah, take me by my arm
Tomorrow we are Canaan Bound"














Good Bye Maine....