Trail Markers

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.
Psalm 142:3

Thank you for all the encouraging comments on the last post. Mom also appreciated the thoughtful and loving words which were shared. I spent a lot of time this week updating concerned family and friends and experienced the rollercoaster of emotions between despair and hope which all people go through when they receive bad news. Mom is still dealing with the after effects of two big surgeries in a month and decisions about future treament are yet to be made.

I walked along the river on a cloudy morning a few days ago and took a side path from the gravel trail as I looked for the source of a Yellow Warbler song. The narrow foot path wound around large willow trees at the water's edge and soon I was a good distance from the familiar open trail. The path divided and I noticed a white marker on tree trunk which led me on the correct route to where I needed to go. It wasn't important to know where the next marker was because it was sure to show up eventually when I needed direction again.

Change brings challenge and we can resist it or move along in its flow. It is human nature to seek information about our future even if the source is speculative and unreliable. It is harder to live in the moment as if each day could be our last. How different the world could be if we didn't leave the most important things in life... being patient, forgiving, loving, unselfish, expressing appreciation to others... for another day.