I am a journeyer,
traveling through this life,
looking and seeking,
searching and learning.

I pick up things as I journey—
a book, a photograph, a postcard and
put them in my backpack.

Sometimes, I take those things out
and look at them,
mostly at night, mostly when I’m alone.
I smile, I laugh.
I cry, I hurt.
I am with everyone.
I am with no one.

Sometimes, the backpack gets
too heavy for the journey, so
I replace the things,
get rid of the heavy stuff for what’s lighter—
a small shell found on the beach,
the petal from a flower given with love,
a picture drawn by the hand of a child.

As the journey continues,
I no longer need things because
what I carry now is inside me…

The memories,
the understanding,
the tears of joy, love, and hope, and
the awakening of my spirit.

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We’re all journeyers. Sadly, we’re often so caught up in who we believe we must be, accomplish or own, that we don’t truly experience the journey. We get frozen in the days when we’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or unloved. If we’re more far-sighted, we may be able to look ahead to the next month or year, but, often, we don’t see the overall broad strokes of this life. Who can blame us?

Pre, COVID-19, we were bombarded with things to do or buy—screaming gongs demanding our attention—and often didn’t slow down long enough to be in the experience of living. It was like we were watching our lives instead of living them. For many people in the medical and retail worlds, life is more challenging than ever, but for most of us, much has slowed down.

Most of my happiest memories are of the simple, but most “real,” things: my daughters’ laughter, conversations with my grandchildren, cherished moments with people I love, adventures with my family and friends. They’re the true “markers” in my journey—much more important than rushing, buying, and hamster-wheel doing.

In a book about cancer, loss, and love, one of the characters asks, “what will you say at my funeral?” Crying through it, made me think about journeying and eulogies and what would be said when I move to the spirit side. Obituaries list facts: age, occupation, family members. What about who the person truly was, what made them laugh, who they loved, what they aspired to do, or how they touched others’ lives? What about how he or she lived?

When we leave this life, it won’t matter what positions we held, or what organizations we belonged to unless we reached out and positively impacted another’s life. It won’t be of consequence where we lived unless we honored our little space on this earth. It’s not going to make a difference how old we were unless we used those years to honor the spirit not only in others but also inside ourselves. And, it won’t matter who was in our circles of life unless we aspired to be agents of change, speaking with love, acting with care and concern, and striving always to live in peace.

Think about the path you want to walk—the ways you want to be remembered and the stamp you’ll leave on this world. Then, enjoy this blessed journey. Dance through it, sing through it, pray through it, laugh through it, and love through it, remembering that living into your highest self is what God wants you to do.   ❤︎

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