The boat gently bumps into the shore, waking me from my slumber.\u00a0 I sit up, the fog not as thick as it once was. A smile creeps on my face as I disembark onto the shore, seeing a rough path ahead of me. It isn\u2019t easy going, but I find that it doesn\u2019t bother me.<\/p>\n
Something feels right about this path.\u00a0 It\u2019s unfamiliar, but it isn\u2019t unsettling.<\/p>\n
The fog that once acted as deterrent to the Journey now swirls around me, calling me, gently kissing my face, guiding me.\u00a0 There are footprints along the path \u2013 some new, some old.\u00a0 I find comfort knowing that I\u2019m not the only one who has taken this route in the Journey and can\u2019t help but wonder what their stories are.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What brought us here?<\/p>\n
What continues to guide us along the path?<\/p>\n
What are our desires, our dreams?<\/p>\n
What did we lose to go on this Journey?<\/p>\n
What did we gain?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The fog becomes thinner and thinner the further I go until I find myself in a meadow lit by sunlight.\u00a0 The surface of a pond reflects the sun, sparkling like the clearest sapphire I\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0 Flowers of every color dot the area, painting the ground with their beauty.<\/p>\n
And, sitting at the pond\u2019s edge, is a familiar figure in a gray cloak.<\/p>\n
The Pilgrim looks over their shoulder and grins, beckoning me to join them at the edge.\u00a0 I sit down and we sit in silence for a long moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect to see you here,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n
They chuckle. \u00a0\u201cI had sense you would arrive here one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took me a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pilgrim shakes their head. \u201cA Pilgrim is never late, Expert. They arrive precisely where they\u2019re supposed to be when<\/em>they are meant to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n I laugh. \u201cPerhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n We sit in silence again, soaking in the warmth of the sunlight. It\u2019s a moment of serenity, one of rest and tranquility and beauty.<\/p>\n There is a moment of contentment, of knowing that this unfamiliar place is where I was supposed to be.<\/p>\n But also the realization that it wouldn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n The Pilgrim gives me a knowing look before standing up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n They shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a Destination the Pilgrim longs for?\u201d<\/p>\n They pause, turning the question over in their mind.\u00a0 \u201cThere is always a Destination, but there is always another that follows after.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo the Journey never ends?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly when we stop dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n I stare at my reflection in the pond, seeing how much I\u2019ve changed. I don\u2019t recognize myself anymore; my clothing is torn and worn in place; my hair is unkempt. But there\u2019s something I see that I haven\u2019t seen in a long time.<\/p>\n Peace.<\/p>\n Freedom.<\/p>\n Joy.<\/p>\n Adventure.<\/p>\n Hope.<\/p>\n I smile and stand, looking the Pilgrim in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cShall we?\u201d<\/p>\n They nod, a grin splitting their face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where are we going? We can only dream.<\/p>\n Will we always be together? Who can say.<\/p>\n Together, we leave the meadow, stepping back into the familiar unfamiliarity of the fog.<\/p>\n Together, we take the most important step.<\/p>\n Together, we continue the Journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The boat gently bumps into the shore, waking me from my slumber.\u00a0 I sit up, the fog not as thick as it once was. A smile creeps on my face as I disembark onto the shore, seeing a rough path ahead of me. It isn\u2019t easy going, but I find that it doesn\u2019t bother me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[1922,1020],"class_list":["post-27000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biography-drama-history","tag-arrival","tag-journey","cohort-lgp10"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27000"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27002,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27000\/revisions\/27002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}