Path
“For a path to be a path, you have to be able to see it, or at least catch glimpses of it, every so often. And for that to happen, somebody needs to have walked it ahead of you. We may not be able to see them, but here and there they have left a sign: a shoe or a boot abandoned in the muck, something they have dropped, a pile of stones, a depression in the grass, a way marker inscribed with an arrow pointing the way - or simply the holiness of their lives.”—Br. James Koester
Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Joanna ES Campbell
Brother Koester from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist ( Society of Saint John the Evangelist ) recently shared a simple but stunning concept about making our pathway in life. For a path to be a path, someone was there before us to make that path. In our hubris, we believe we are the trailblazers, but in effect, there was always someone there before us that traveled it, or cleared it, or made it visible, like my grandfather. But also, there were so many we never knew for ages and generations before us. As we study whatever our tradition is, we get a glimpse of this. I am finding it more and more important to look back and learn about those who were before us, and thank them. It is humbling. We realize we come from a multitude of connections. We begin to have gratitude, and can only respond by thanking them in some small measure. At some point, we also realize that we need to continue clearing the path for others.
Joanna joannaseibert.com