Traveling Mercies: LOVE THE JOURNEY...

Traveling mercies: love the journey,
God is with you, come home safe and sound.

I recently re-read this farewell greeting that the "old people" in Anne Lamott's church use when saying good-bye to friends embarking on a trip. (She refers to it in her book, Traveling Mercies, in the chapter by the same name.)

I have been reflecting on how - to my regret - I don't always love the journey... I say this, not as a traveler on vacation, but as a traveler through life. If I view life as a journey, there are large chunks of it that I endure... but I don't love.

I endured university, hating the study and the exams. But for all that, I'm glad I did it. The discipline produced a body of knowledge, experience ... and skills. And - to be honest - there were many aspects of those years that I did love - the friends, the experience of living in Israel. The adventure - wondering what life had in store. I really did love all that.

I loved having kids - but I found parenting hard at times, especially when they were young and I was irritible from not getting enough sleep! (Then I was down on myself for not being the cheerful mother I wanted to be!)

I loved being a teacher - loved helping students and meeting interesting individuals from all over the world - but hated the marking, and the discipline of having to go in to work every day...

The same is true at my current stage of life - I love the flexibility my days now offer - but I don't feel carefree... As I watch my parents' generation age around me, I realize that this stage of life faces us all - at least, those of us lucky enough to reach an age so rich in years... But it does make me sad to see all those people who were part of my childhood - helping me become the person I now am - reach the age where they need help.

Traveling mercies: love the journey,
God is with you, come home safe and sound.

To love the journey, I need to re-capture the sense of adventure that life was meant to have ... at every stage of life! And of course, it always helps to know that God is with me - and that I'll come home safe and sound!