What is your journey?

What is your journey? Taken literally, my parents at this moment are preparing for the red eye from Arizona to New York with the purpose of visiting Alan. It’s also the time of year when many of us are planning our summer getaways. Or maybe this weekend you are planning a hike up Overlook Mountain?

Or maybe your journey is one that seeks to satisfy your career aspirations. There may be a new area you wish to explore or skill you want to learn. Much of my college advising experience was spent helping students find the resources (internal and external) to equip themselves for these types of journeys. Dialog with students on this topic often started out with the simplest question: What are your interests?

Or maybe you are devoted to a spiritual journey seeking to connect with the divine. You may be on this journey collectively with others on Sunday, or seek the solitude of the journey through prayer and music. In a world complicated with war, violence and chaos, it’s no wonder that so many people seek paths towards harmony and peace.

Today, I stumbled upon a Shaker hymn which I have pasted below. I thought it quite serendipitous, especially since I’ve been struggling with what to write about today. You are a challenging audience! Your diversity of interests makes it quite difficult to find common threads. But when I read this hymn, it seemed to connect us all together on both a deep and superficial level.

Its message is as simple as its words. Delight!

‘Tis a gift to be simple
‘Tis a gift to be free
‘Tis a gift to come down
Where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves
In the place that’s right
“twill be in the valley
Oh love and delight.

Nineteenth Century Shaker Hymn