Review

I am living in something of a challenging moment. Challenging moments are part of the Journey, they are moments where slow and steady navigation is required. As I logged on to write this morning a couple of memories cropped up. (And competing ear worms more on that later) Our youth group would take a trip to Mt. Washington, once a year, for a hike to the summit. Both times I was able to go the group started out together and eventually broke into small groups of either friends, or people of the same skill level, or some more fit/experienced hikers staying with the newer, less experienced hikers for their safety, and encouragement along the way. Arriving at the summit anywhere from 3 to 6 hours after the start, the view could be amazingly clear or stormy and that might change within a matter of minutes. Of course there are all of the spiritual reflections that come from taking a hike like that. The thing is though, it’s all about the journey and for each one of us the journey, while shared, was a bit different. And it was different each hike. The weather was different, our bodies were different, our spiritual experiences different. The first year I made it up with relative ease, the second year for some reason the journey, though I knew a little more what to expect, was more difficult. And that was the year my friend Nell made it up in 3 hours. Sigh. I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment that I made it and jealous, and somewhat defeated that she did it in 3 hours.  Three hours.
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Sometimes I wonder…if there’s anything I might have done differently. Every now and again the answer is, “No, I couldn’t have done anything differently.” Sometimes the circumstances are just that…the circumstances. The only thing to do is stand up, thank God, dust off, reflect, and move on.
*Standing up in such a way as to remind yourself that you are a well loved child of God.
*Thanking God is an always a moment worthy of our time. We may not fully understand what’s going on, but thank Him anyway.
*Dust off, cleaning up and making our selves presentable is always a good thing.
*Move on. It’s okay to take the next steps in the journey. This part of the journey is something that needed to be taken. There are drops of grace here. Confirmation of who you are, and where you belong.
There are so many images running through my head right now of walking by faith, of trusting the path because I’m holding our Lords hand, of stopping to listen to the crash of the waves against the rocks, hearing the words “peace, be still”. There is an intense sense of being led out into the deep.

Sometimes the quilting takes a turn. There is something growing, changing. In such a good way. While the moment seems a struggle I know at the other side there is something more. Something for my students. Something beautiful. Something that will take me down a new path.

Faith is sticking with it even when the feelings aren’t there.
Faith is trusting that the next step is okay to take.

Life, faith, quilting, it’s all part of this same journey. It’s all good, whether or not I can see it at the moment. And…I’m grateful for all of it, for it means I’m alive and living. It means that I’m willing to take the steps on this journey. I’m willing to take out quilting stitches, do something different, take a risk.

God bless!

Teri