Thirty-plus years just does not feel like enough time. The Peacocks are about to pull up roots and travel the nation on a permanent road trip. We have gotten used to the snow bird effect, but this time it will be for much longer. Barry and Viv are spreading their wings and are going to soar.

Barry has been helping people for years. With the city, with the church and with friends, he is a man’s man. He has helped many a person over the years and has been a staple to the area. He has helped Karrie and me many times, and we consider him a type of father to us. Words of wisdom, a strong back and helping in any way he can. That is Barry in his quiet almost Old West-type attitude.

Then there is Viv, the beautiful one (no offense Barry). She has the most giving heart, and love bubbles out of her. She is also a helper, a giver and a spiritual warrior. If someone needs prayer, she is right there. Words of wisdom and legacy always flowing from her mind and heart. She is a daughter of the King in the truest sense of the phrase.

Together, they are the Peacocks. A strong and mighty couple in the kingdom of God. A marriage to be looked upon as a model. A partnership to be admired by the younger generation as a blueprint to walk in. Are they perfect? No. They would be the first to tell you that, but they know where to find the answers and they would share that with you too.

For years, we have lived among them, traveled beside them, and maybe we never noticed as much as we should have. A great couple with a great attitude toward life, living by the book and their fellow man being loved on. Allowing us all a glimpse into how things should be walked out was something we maybe took for granted. But they are not done. Just taking the Peacock love tour on the road.

If you have not figured it out by now, Barry and Viv are special to my wife and me. We will miss them as they jump in their RV and head out to a national park somewhere with the three canines that are lucky enough to call them their humans. We will carry a piece of them with us always. It could be a CD, a hand carved sign or a peacock feather, but we will remember and wish them well on their journeys. God will be there wherever they park their four-wheeled home, and his work will be done through them. We will catch up to them somewhere along their trail. Who knows — they may come visit the Coulee again sometime.

So, if you see Viv or Barry over the next few weeks, wish them well. Coulee Country is about to watch two Peacocks spread their wings like eagles and soar. It won’t be the same around here without your lighthouse shining in our towns. But the people you meet on your journey will feel that same blessing with which you blessed all of us. Thank you for being a part of our lives. We will forever be changed by the encounter with God we had through you.