Walk on my friends!
monos en theos ††††† james
“When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road… run, run, run, and don’t stop til you’ve reached its end.”
― José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
giddy up…†…monos en theos…jim
I’m not quite sure where my attraction to stop and make a quick photo of the long and straight roads that I often travel originated. I kind of think it stems from growing up in West Texas and having traveled down so many long and straight roads. It some how brings me comfort to see where I am heading.
Or maybe it is that I am always searching for a way to follow and some reassurance that I am going the right way.
” But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)
enjoy life, know where you’re going! en theos monos ††† jim
We have been blessed with very spring like weather the last few days. It has been shorts and t-shirts the last few days. Hope the trees and plants are a little wiser than me and do not bud too soon. I can remember several Easters where we have had ice and snow.
enjoy it while you got it! en theos ††† jim
“All my life affection has been showered upon me, and every forward step I have made has been taken in spite of it.”
George Bernard Shaw
I started looking for some powerful words to go with this weak image. I got lost in cyber-world for too much time reading all the motivation words that have been written about taking the first or next step. BrainyQuote alone had 32 pages full of quotes & sayings. Somehow this gave me some comfort. I must not be the only one that needs encouragement for taking the next step.
I am not sure why I even like this image but it just seems to be the view I see a lot of the time. My problem has never been taking the next step, but to find the right direction.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/step.html#rCgIKV9EllfUL8Fu.99
All who wander are not lost. ††† en theos † jim
“Part of everyone’s journey in life is to arrive at precipice or fork in the road or at the end of a path and to realize we no longer know our way. Hard as this is, this is where the inner journey begins, when all we’ve carried has served its purpose and now we must burn it for warmth and to see what’s next. This is when the soul shows itself, if we will listen. This is when we assume our full stature and make our own path.” Mark Nepo
Midway in Our Journey
“Just when we’re softened by the years,
when we have enough experience to see
for ourselves, our maps are torn from us.
This can be frightening, but there’s
divine timing in the dissolution of a
stubborn mind, the way an inlet waits
on the last rock to crumble so it can
find its destiny in the sea. Losing the
way set out by others is necessary so we
can discover for ourselves what it means
to be alive. Now we can burn the clothes
others have laid out for us, not in anger
but to light our way. Now we can let the
soul spill its honey on the unleavened life
we’ve been carrying. Now we can rise. ” ©Mark Nepo
I have gotten part of this down, “the softening of the years” that part I am coming into peace with. The rest is coming, but it is still a little further down the road.
Hit those high notes while you still have the voice. ††† en theos ††† jim
Although she cannot hear a sound, Grace never has a problem knowing which path to follow. As a human, with all my senses intact (well some would question that) I have the hardest time finding the path that my heart wants and needs to follow. I listen to my head all too often. Most often planing my direction by logic and reason. My heart gets lost.
Today I had the most synchronistic morning reading from Melody Beattie. It cried out to the reasoning of why I have such a hard time finding that seemingly illusive narrow road.
Trust Your Heart
“For so long, you relied on your head. Now it’s time to make the shift— the great leap into your heart. Are you beginning to see how your head gets in the way? How it creates so much noise? The chatter, the limited vision, the fear? Are you beginning to see how what you’ve relied on— your intellect, your assessments, and sometimes your logic— has complicated your life? It isn’t the head that sees clearly, nor does the head always see with love. Often, it sees with eyes of fear. The heart sees clearly. It balances the mind and emotions. It takes what’s real and processes it into truth, then into action. It takes into account all that needs to be done, then draws a map, an itinerary, for how to accomplish that. Yes, you say, but my head does that too. And then I don’t need to feel… Your heart can do it better because it maps the way in love. Learn to listen to your inner voice. Listen to your heart. It’s your connection to God, to people, to the universe, and to yourself.”
Beattie, Melody (2013-04-30). Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul (Kindle Locations 104-113). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Ask,seek,knock….en theos ††† jim
An image from my last good day.
I came down with a cough the day after this photo of me and my granddaughter as we walked about a park in Houston. The next day I got a cough. I hacked, spit, laid in bed and O.T.C.ed November away.
Now, six week later and half-way through the last month of the year, 10 days before Christmas, I am at long last turning the corner and beginning to feel better. The antibiotics are working. The pneumonia is clearing, my coughing is almost over. During this time my arthritis has grown so severe that the act of walking is a real pain.
My faith has been severely shaken, my body weakened and my spirit and stamina are nil. I have no energy or drive to pick up a camera. I sadly watch my wife walk my two dogs as I don’t have the energy to tag along. I wonder if and when I will ever be able to return to “normal”. In a couple of words: life sucks. Growing old ain’t for sissies and I am a sissy for sure.
Enjoy what you got………..jim
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