TODAYS JOURNEY

I TOOK

A TRIP TODAY

DOWN

MEMORY LANE

IT WAS A

WINDING JOURNEY

WITH STOPS

HERE

AND

THERE

WHAT SWEET

JOY CAN BE

FOUND IN

THE

PAST

BUT,

 I

WOULD

NOT WANT

TO

 LIVE THERE

IT SEEMS THAT TODAY IS ONE OF THOSE CONTEMPLATIVE DAYS FOR ME.  IT IS ONE OF THOSE DAY'S WHERE I FEEL SO CALM, PEACEFUL AND HAVE SUCH A QUIET JOY WITHIN.

IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE THESE DAY'S TO NON-BELIEVERS AS WELL AS SOME BELIEVERS.  I DON'T KNOW IF SOME PEOPLE WHO PROFESS TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD, IF THEY JUST WERE NOT GIVEN THE GIFT OF PEACE OR IF SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY THEY GOT LOST.

*

I WAS THINKING OF WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS YOUNG AND WE WOULD TAKE WHAT I CALLED LEFT OR RIGHT TURN ONLY TRIPS.  WE WOULD USUALLY BE HEADING HOME FROM SOMEWHERE SINCE WE ALWAYS RAN LATE GOING PLACES.

THE ONLY RULE TO THESE TRIPS IS THAT YOU HAVE TO PICK EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TURNS ONLY AND STICK TO THAT TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

ON ONE OF THESE TRIPS WE WERE COMING HOME FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOING ONLY RIGHT TURNS.  I HAD TO PULL INTO A MALL PARKING LOT TO TRY AND WORK MY WAY AROUND TO THE RIGHT TURN I NEEDED.

I HAD NOTICED A SUV FOLLOWING US AND IT FOLLOWED US INTO THE PARKING LOT.  I AM GLAD IT WAS DARK AND THEY COULD NOT SEE MY DAUGHTER AND I LAUGHING OUR FOOL HEADS OFF AT THESE POOR PEOPLE WHO AFTER ABOUT THE THIRD TIME AROUND THE PARKING LOT FIGURED OUT THAT US HAVING A FLORIDA TAG DID NOT MEAN THEY COULD FOLLOW US TO THE INTERSTATE.

I USED TO SIT IN CHURCH AND WONDER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.  YOU KNOW THE ONE'S WHOSE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS GONE THERE, ALWAYS GONE TOGETHER.  THE ONES WHO KNOW EVERYONE AND SEEM SO MUCH BETTER AT THIS WHOLE BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN THAN I...

MY UPBRINGING IN CHURCH CONSISTED OF WHEN IT WAS CONVENIENT MY MOTHER WOULD GET US UP AND DRESSED, FLAG DOWN THE CHURCH BUS AND SEND US OFF SO SHE COULD HAVE A FEW CHILDLESS HOURS ALONE.  THERE WERE NEVER ANY OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE YOU SIT WITH YOUR CHILD NEXT TO YOU, ABSORBING THE SERMON, WHILE STROKING YOUR CHILD'S HAIR.  NOT A PITY PARTY JUST THE TRUTH.

I ENVIED THESE PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME, ASKING GOD WHAT WAS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THEM.  WHY WAS I NOT DESERVING OF THIS, WHY DID MY FAITH WALK ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE HARD WAY.

NOW, I WONDER WHY GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH SO MUCH.  WITH A FAITH WALK THAT HAS GIVEN SUCH STRENGTH, SO MUCH PEACE AND JOY.  I WONDER NOW IF THESE PEOPLE STEEPED IN TRADITION OF GENERATIONS, IF THEY KNOW THE PEACE AND JOY I HAVE.  IF WITHOUT THE STRUGGLES THEY SEE THE BLESSINGS.

ONLY GOD KNOWS AND THAT IS BETWEEN THEM, NOT FOR ME TO JUDGE.  WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT LIKE THE TRIPS WITH MY DAUGHTER OUR JOURNEYS, OUR FAITH WALKS, ARE UNIQUE.

GOD HAS A PLAN MADE ESPECIALLY FOR EACH OF US, TRYING TO FOLLOW SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING IS A LOT LIKE THE SUV THAT FOLLOWED US THAT NIGHT.

THEY HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT

WE WERE ON A RIGHT

TURN ONLY JOURNEY.

WE WERE FOLLOWING

OUR PATH, SET JUST FOR US.

OUR JOURNEYS MAY BE DIFFERENT

SOME EASY, SOME HARD

BUT THEY ARE ALL

PRICELESS

TO US.

AND

THEY ALL

LEAD US

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