My solo trip ended yesterday when I arrived home safe and sound after five days on the road again. Odysseus (my adventurous RV) carried me nearly 1,900 miles across western Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The fall scenery was spectacular. My visit with my grandson Austin at his college, with Mark and Norva in their peaceful valley home in West Virginia, and with Bill and Patience in Paducah, Kentucky were special moments. I return home with a deep sense of gratitude for the gift of grandchildren and special long-time friends.
Carl Sandburg ends his poem “Falltime” with this line: “Is there something finished? And some new beginning on the way?” Yes, my solo road trip may be finished, but there are some new “beginnings” on the way. My wife and granddaughter have been busy sewing a wedding dress while I’ve been away, preparing for Katie and Liam’s wedding day at the end of this month—a new beginning. Excitement will fill the days ahead as we anticipate and prepare for this special moment in time.
Autumn seems to ask with Sandburg, “Is there something finished? And some new beginning on the way?” These questions seem to speak to me this morning of our human journey—and the journey itself gives answers to the questions. Yes, there are “finished” things—there are “endings” to the various chapters of life (childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, etc.) but always coming are the “new beginnings.” The “Hymn of Promise” speaks to me of this wondrous mystery.
In the bulb there is a flower, in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
there’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
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| Snowdonia, Wales |
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