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| Along the Road There are Blurry Apples to Pick |
I do not remember the entire poem. I do remember the words in that poem, though, that have become important to me over the years. Here’s what I can bring to mind of a familiar Robert Frost poem: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…one was grassy and wanted wear…the other was equally as fair…I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the diverence. I won’t place quotation marks around that because my memory skews importance by changing things as they should have been rather than how they really were.
The holy card (remember those?) from my ordination contained similar sentiments. I thanked God that he had led me along the road to ministry in the Church. I talked about running down the road laid out for me but sometimes stumbling along the way. I recalled the people who had travelled with me and encouraged me over the years including friends, my sisters, teachers and, of course, my parents.
I still look at life that way. Sometimes I am not sure where Our Lord wants me to go next. Where does the journey lead now, Lord?
As I get older I realize how deeply I must trust in You because
the journey cannot be too much longer, though I still want to run as the goal gets closer.
In two days I am off again to Europe. Dare I believe that the Lord has made this journey possible so that I can enjoy more of his creation? This time it’s Copenhagen, Krakow and Vienna.
Don’t envy me, too much, though I realize few people get to travel as often as I do.
I could have stayed home. But, then, how could I see what is around the next corner? I have to keep walking, and peeking and poking around in life.
My journey is not yours. But I know you have a road of life ahead of you like I do. The one thing we should not do is just sit around waiting for God to surprise us with a thunderbolt of motivation — no, not with the road clearly there ahead of us.
Reminds me of another Frost poem. I think it’s called “Apple Picking Time.” Again I have forgotten most of the poem but I do remember the part I want to share with you. After talking about how he’s ready to go out the door and joyously pick the rosy apples that are ready, ready for picking, he turns around, looks out at the reader and says something like: “I’m going apple picking. You come,too.”
I am on a journey, every day. You come, too.