Just To Be

I am a pilgrim on a journey. The road is mapped out ahead, but I can only see a few yards in the distance. One step at a time I boldly move with anticipation and curiosity. Sometimes I face pain around a corner, other times I am overwhelmed with kindness. In my pack, I carry a precious trove of memories. As I close my eyes to rest, I am reminded of friendly faces and peaceful places from years before. Each person has impressed me, contributed to my identity in some way. Some have travelled only a few short steps with me and others have travelled many miles. Some friends walk along for awhile, then dissappear for a season, before returning again to share their stories, their battles. I am not alone, even when I am by myself. This pack of memories keeps me warm and gives me hope of things to come. I am forever grateful to each one that has considered me a friend, a sister, a daughter, a part of their family. On this journey I have come across people of all walks of life. My hope is to befriend them and help them along on their journey; help them grow outside their shell, outside the walls built out of fear and hurt. This journey is not easy. There are no chariots to whisk us across the rocks and valleys. There are no wings to carry us over the swamps and deserts. But, there are friends who show us how to use the rocks, find beauty in the swamps and peace in the desert. This journey offers us an opportunity to discover our strengths. As we put our talents into practice, the sharper they become. The more we use our strengths to build others up and encourage them along the way, the sweeter our journey becomes. I hope that one day on your journey you come face to face with the Author of your pilgrimage, the Creator of life, the One true God who gives each journey a purpose worth living for. I've discovered that there is only One and no other. Only One God that provides the daily strength needed and peace that never ends, even along the darkest trails. There is no other love to compare with the love of God. Nothing else keeps my feet grounded and my eyes set on the future, the work that is yet to come. So, as I continue on my daily walk, I pray for those that have crossed my path and for those that feel lost in the dark. I pray that I may carry the Light to others who have given up and are ready to quit. Don't give up! There is only One Hope, One Way, One Sacrifice and it is not within us to save ourselves. The answer lies in placing our hope and trust in the True Shepherd, who was willing to give up His own life for us and by doing that became our Perfect Sacrifice, our Saviour. When we couldn't find our way, He opened the gate. He bridged the gap. He called our name. Through Jesus, In Jesus and With Jesus, I can boldly travel along without fear, guilt or shame.
May your journey be meaningful, may God open your eyes to see and your ears to hear all that He desires for you.

Ode to My Grandfathers

Good Morning, Grandfather!
Did you catch the sunrise this morning as it spread out, rays stretching endlessly across water, land and sky?
Amazing how I never tire of watching the sun being born over and over again, anew each day. Every morning seems like the first dawn, full of beauty, peace and wonder. For just a moment I can put aside the world and all its demands. I can travel across time and space to any memory I choose or even create new dreams as I stare out across the earth.
Today I think again of special memories I have of you, Grandfather. Although I have many, they seem so inadequate. Your life was lived fully, your story is an epic and somehow I only got the cliff notes. No matter. There are always the photographs that endure to remind us of snapshots in time, of the fingerprints you left on the world you travelled through. There are also the stories shared by children and grandchildren. Stories that will pass down to future generations for those who ask about their roots, their ancestors, and their heritage.
Provider. Strong. Handsome. Loving Husband. Faithful Friend. Leader. Father. A Man of Few Words. These are just a few or the words that come to mind to describe you. But, I could never fully paint a picture of your whole person with plain words.
As the sun begins to set, not just for the night, but for your journey here on earth, I feel such melancholy. I feel sadness for all the things left undone and the words left unsaid. I feel like there was never enough time, never enough space. Why does everything have to move so fast? What's the rush all about anyway? Just one more chat, one more walk across the old farm, just one more story around the campfire, one more hug, one more sunrise, one more something, anything. All the memories, all the stories, all the photographs, will never be enough to capture it all.
This fleeting life is difficult to grasp. We were meant to live forever in God's presence, not limited to some cursed timetable. My only joy and peace is to know that one day I'll meet you there, on the other side, with the entire host of all the prophets and saints that have served God during their generation here on earth and have gone on before us. What a comfort to know that all the restrictions will be lifted, there will be no more rush, no more distance between us, no more regrets or lost time to make up.
I know you will receive the reward we so long for, to hear Our Father say, "My good and faithful servant", welcome home. I promise to press on with faith, hope and love, knowing that my work here is not done. I still have a few more sunrises to enjoy, a few more heartaches to endure and many lost souls to fight for. Please pray that I might finish the race as well as you. May my life be an acceptable sacrifice to my Lord , my Saviour, my Gracious Jesus.

With Love that lives beyond time and space,

Your granddaughter

The Lost Art of Day Dreaming

As I was setting this up, it occurred to me how little time I spend on reading and writing. One of the most beautiful things in living day to day is to discover new ideas, new ways of doing things, new ways to communicate. Somehow, those things are never written down or captured and soon they are gone, whisked away with the business of the day. All day long I have wonderful little discoveries, but the moment comes and goes before I can truly appreciate it.
There are several library books on the floor next to my bed. I'm sure each one is full of amazing thoughts, conjectures and dreams that I would never think of myself, and yet by opening up a piece of writing from someone else, I can travel through time and space and discover with them new ways to see the world and the beautiful people in it. But somehow, there is dinner to be made, groceries to be bought and I didn't make time to grow.