Spiritual Journey First Thursday: My Path

Welcome to Spiritual Journey First Thursday,

a group of friends who blog monthly about our spiritual journeys. 

Donna who blogs at Mainely Write and our host for September,

has chose the theme My Path as our focus.

When Donna invited us to write about "my path," I ended up thinking about paths that have mattered in my life. In Proverbs 4:26 we read: "Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established." I came up with five meaningful paths: my family path, my reading path,
my baking path, my friendship path, and my discipleship path. 

Anyone who reads this blog knows how important family is to me. I'm blessed to be close to my siblings - two sisters and a brother. Even though we lost our parents when they were quite young (both were in their 60s), we have managed to stay close even though we live thousands of miles away from each other. I'll always be glad for the love I share with my husband, for our two fantastic children,
their wonderful spouses, and our two delightful grandsons!

My reading path is one that I've nurtured my entire life. When I became a mother and heard women say they hadn't read a book since they'd had children, I vowed that I would not become one of those women. So I started a book club with friends from our church congregation and neighborhood. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, it was less than a year before I started another book club. We are currently celebrating our 20th year together. And it's impossible to think of the years I spent as an educator without remembering the books I shared with students and the joy that filled our classroom

as we shared the words of favorite books.

I'm not sure why I decided that my baking path was significant, but it matters to me. I'm not a gourmet baker, but I love 
to share cookies, breads, and cakes from my kitchen 
with friends, neighbors, and loved ones. 

My friendship path is tied up with my reading path and my baking path since some of my best friends are those that I share books

(and baked goods) with frequently. 

"What are you reading?" is my favorite way to greet a friend. 

I hang onto my friends as long as I possibly can. 

I've adopted a quote from a book I once read: 

"If you're ever in my life, you're always in my life."

The path of a disciple of Christ is one that can be challenging and demanding, but so fulfilling. I've chosen to share a poem that I wrote forty years ago as a young missionary in Hong Kong.

I meditate

        Listening to the rhythmic ocean

        Watching the white-capped waves rushing to shore.

I remember

        An Oregon coast

        My first love

        Days forever gone.

I realize

        As the waves rush to meet the shore and subside

        So must the days of our lives

        The woman I am today carries only the

        memories of the girl of yesterday.

I wonder

        Heavenly Father in His wise purposes knows me.

        What small lessons am I being taught each day?

I awaken

        A figure clothed in white brings me to here and now

        A group of the Lord's servants meet for a rebirth

        That birth most important, of water and of the spirit.

I ponder

        A mission is only the beginning of my life

        What will Father ask of me in the coming years?

I pray

        For the strength to always say I will

        And faith to walk with Him by my side.

Thanks, Donna, for encouraging us to ponder our paths. While my paths may seem rather ordinary, without any surprising doors or amazing opportunities, I'm grateful for the lessons I've been taught and for the opportunity I have to walk with the Savior by my side.