It’s Saturday morning and I am working from a coffee shop in Northeast Minneapolis. It’s the neighborhood I grew in. My old stomping grounds if you would. Being here makes me to reflect on my journey to get here. And since I am deep in reflection (and a day behind on my blog posting) I figured I might as well share.

Yesterday I closed on the sale of my house in Bismarck North Dakota and movers finished packing all my possessions into a truck. On Monday I close on my house in Maple Grove, Minnesota and the contents of my home will be delivered later that day. So I guess that makes me officially homeless today. Yet for the first time in many years I am also home.

Over the last ten plus years I have moved from Minneapolis MN, to Langhorne PA, to Mt. Laurel NJ, to Duluth MN, to Bismarck ND and now back again. I would not trade these experiences for anything. It was well worth it to be away from “home” for this long. It afforded me a tremendous opportunity to grow professionally. Without these experiences I would not be prepared for the role I have today. But despite all of the knowledge I have acquired and friends I have made, and even know I have really enjoyed living in so many places, there is always a pull to “go home”. My Wife and I always agreed that we would try to “go home” one day, but only if I could find the right position with a strong, progressive, forward-looking organization where I could stay for a very long time; that challenges me professionals; and that permits me to utilize the skills and knowledge I have obtained. I know that is quite an extensive list. And, opportunities popped up here and there but noting ever met those criteria. At least not until the opportunity to join PLUS became available. PLUS is a strong organization. It has a great history that the Founders, past and current board members, and past and current employees should be proud of. It is positioned to handle any challenge ahead as well as to identify and capitalize on new opportunities. That is the type of organization I wanted to be a part of; One with great potential and great opportunity to great things for its members. And, that certainly describes PLUS.

Now I need to stop reflecting and get back to bylaws, manuals, policies and dark roast coffee.