Reflecting On Your Life Pathways

Moving into the year 2011 instead of my usual looking ahead to this new year I took sometime to continue on last week’s theme of savoring. I took some time to reflect on paths I have taken in my life. Each of us on our journey through life take a variety of pathways in our life journey.

What really made me think about this was a song and a video that was done with the song. Recently my wife sent me an email with a song by trumpeter Chris Botti embedded in it. The song’s name was The Way Home. I enjoyed the song and searched for it on the internet as I wanted to find the cd it was from. In my search I came across this You Tube video done of the song. Take a few moments to watch this video and be thinking of pathways to your home at various times in your life; while you listen and view the vivid scenic photos of pathways. Click on this title to view the video --
The Way Home

The melody of the song is very catchy and has a feeling of a traveling song. I could imagine myself strolling down a pathway or listening to it in a car stereo traveling down a road home. Then as I was looking at the photography of the variety of pathways I thought of pathways to various homesteads in my life. The first one I remembered was my drives from Chicago, from school breaks and holidays to visit Ohio with my mother while she was still living. I usually always took the same pathway of the Indiana and Ohio turnpikes. In the Winter many times the path was slick and icy. In warmer weather when I was young I usually traveled home at night and would drive the turnpike with my windows rolled down with Kansas or Deep Purple blaring from the speakers to keep me awake. This remembrance reminded me of my visits with mom that I enjoyed and missed after she passed away.

Another pathway that came to mind was when I lived on the far North side of Chicago on Peterson Avenue. I had one favorite pathway especially during a period of time I was going through some difficulties and depression. I would walk from Peterson Avenue on the far North side down to North Avenue Beach. In the Spring and Summer this walk would give me time to reflect on issues in my life and think over ideas for the future. I always enjoyed the people watching as well as the exercise the walk gave me. Getting out of the apartment and enjoying the journey on this Chicago pathway, helped me through some of my most difficult and dark days during that period of time in Chicago.

Then the last pathway I will mention amidst the myriad of pathways I have had in my life is a pathway from Chicago to Brownsville, TX. That was a pathway to my present homestead in Brownsville, TX. I won’t say final homestead because one never knows what other moves are in the future. This was a pathway that initially had much uncertainty. It was a move to be where the lady I loved had moved to. She had a nice job in Brownsville but the worry was, what was the chance of my finding work there? Friends who knew me best in Chicago and Ohio told me not to hesitate but to move out in faith and follow the path of love God was guiding me on. Their advice gave this non-risk taker the added impetus to step out and drive this pathway to what would become a new way home as the song is alluding to. Reflecting over the past -- going on 11 years of marriage reminds me that this pathway was guided by God as it has been the best years of my life. Of course one thing I pick up from the energy in Chris Botti’s song The Way Home, is that each path way has its own positive energy and beauty so I have a hope that the future years new pathways will be just as beautiful.

Before you begin planning new ideas for your new year take some time to reflect over some of the pathways home in your past years of your life journey. What were some of the hills and valleys you faced in the pathway? Every path has pitfalls and holes we trip over. But if we mindfully reflect over our pathways we can be reminded of the beauty in each pathway and reflect over the joy in the journey that we experienced.

Reflection:

Take some time in a quiet place and jot down on paper 3-5 of the Pathways home you have journeyed on. Choose one pathway and write your feelings about it. What were some hardships you faced? What were some beautiful things you enjoyed about the pathway? Reflect over the joy in that journey and write what you are thankful for concerning that period of your life.