Three years ago this night . . . probably close to this very hour . . . I was sitting on my friend Christa's couch wondering if I had made the right decision.

I had made it half way on my mini journey of a lifetime to Columbus, Ohio to start a new chapter of my life . . . and I was starting to get scared.

She told me that everything was going to be fine . . . that I had a life full of mystery and adventure ahead of me.

As it turns out things have been more than fine . . . and there has been plenty of adventure.

If you know me, you know I am date person . . . my life, my memories are all cataloged by date and sometimes even time.

So as I come up on three years of life in Columbus I have been thinking a lot about the life I have here and how I came about having it.

And it happens, that any time I take to reflect on my life here . . . I think about how I got here.

Which leads to me think about my dear friend Mark Palmer . . . and my heart gets a little heavier.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about Mark this week . . . thinking about the life he asked me to come be a part of . . . the life I have created for myself amongst the people here in Columbus.

When I spoke at his memorial service . . . I said I would never take this life that he gave me for granted.

And I really hope that I have held true to that statement.

Because it really is a beautiful life that I have here . . . filled with some of the most beautiful people . . . who have changed me so much.

I have learned so much about love, relationships, community and family in the last three years . . . I have grown so much because of these people . . . because of this life.

My hope is to grow and live and experience so much more here . . . because though I have been here for three years . . . I plan on being here for many, many more.

It has been three long and beautiful years.

And here is what I know . . I am not going anywhere . . . I am rooted . . . I am home.