The Journey

My family and I recently returned from a weeklong driving trip which covered over 3,000 miles. While we did have a couple of particular destinations in mind, for the most part, our vacation was more about the journey than where we were going to end up.

We love the natural beauty of the country as well as man made oddities and attractions. We enjoy stopping at scenic overlooks and at almost any claim of the "world's largest" anything. This trip included a stop at the world's largest hand-dug well in Greensburg, Kansas. Greensburg has another claim to fame. It is a small Kansas town which was decimated by a tornado in 2007. When deciding to re-build, planners made it the "greenest" (environmentally-friendly) town in America. It is fascinating to see their creative approach in coming back from a devastating loss.

Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and Devil's Tower were some of our favorite sites, but along with those we saw the continuing shameful plight of Native Americans, extreme poverty in areas of Colorado and Kansas and Joplin's destruction. Breathtaking beauty exists alongside sobering heartbreak; this is true on vacation and it is a fact as we live our lives every day.

I view our individual spiritual journeys in much the same way as I think of my recent vacation. It is vital to live in the moment and make the best of every situation, embracing the beauty while not trying to deny the pain. Because life is uneven, because we often struggle with the cares of the world, it is easy to dismiss the present and get caught up in thinking God must be preparing us for some great plan or future project. Even though that might be true, how we behave on our way there is most important. We should not concentrate exclusively on "someday." Because of life's uncertainties, it is "now" which should be our focus.

Living with passion, loving unconditionally and helping where we can must be our daily goals. If all we think about and long for is a better future, we miss golden opportunities today. Appreciate the journey, letting the beauty inspire you while not allowing the sadness to overcome you. And if you're ever near Greensburg, go see their big well.