Almost five years ago, my family and I took a leap of faith, packed up our lives and moved 4 hours away from comfort and stability.

It was both an easy and a difficult decision to make. The easy part was the beautiful part of the country we were moving to, the life imagined of a small rural community and the hope of a future business endeavour – a B&B. The hard part was moving away from friends and family.

Moving to the land of lakes, rocks, forests and hills was very enticing. Raising our two young children surrounded with the space for play and creativity was a goal that was not achievable where we were. The price for that much land was out of our reach, especially if that included waterfront property. The goal of running a hospitality business was another reason to be excited about a move. What made the decision so difficult was moving to a community where we didn’t know anyone. We would have to start from scratch, building new friendships and trying to maintain existing ones. I have found that the older you get, the more difficult it is to build new friendships. I had already tried this once before, so I knew how hard it could be.

The photograph above depicts a canoe paddling in a dense fog. That is what our journey has felt like over the past 5 years. We were not guaranteed of any certainty with this move. We had to press on, keep paddling, trust our bearings, guard our hearts and lean into each other. We did manage to acquire 3 acres of waterfront property, with delays build a house and B&B and managed to secure employment and integrate into a new community. Building new relationships has not been easy, but (with patience) have discovered many good people who have opened up their lives to us. Maintaining existing friendships has proven to be a bit of a mystery – some dwindled without a fight, some were unreciprocated and others have blossomed into something we never could have expected.

This journey has been very much ‘a path of uncertainty’. We had hope, a prayer and a goal for our future but at times it has felt like paddling through the fog. When the fog has lifted (and has done so many times) the view is spectacular. Looking back five years now, uncertainty is starting to feel a lot more comfortable and stable.