“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

In our travels this week, I’ve been able to release some of the sadness from behind.  I have found my smile and I’m hanging tightly to it, praying that God will continue to fill my heart with joy.  I’m also realizing that you cannot run away from sadness.  You can’t hide from tragedy.  It’s all part of the journey.

When we traveled from Tennessee to South Carolina, we witnessed a semi-truck consumed by flames. There was no way to tell if the driver survived, but the ashes of destruction were evidence of another tragic event.

Yesterday, our grandson’s track coach was killed in an automobile crash – just a few days before the school’s graduation ceremonies.  Another tragedy, yet hope remains as this community of Christians gathered to honor him with a prayer vigil. They comforted each other through this action, but more than that, they witnessed life as it is – a fragile, temporary time on this planet.  They saw how quickly it can be snuffed out.

Last night, another bombing at a concert, where young lives were taken needlessly.  It’s become almost a daily affair.  Life is so precious and yet one or more individuals has so little regard for it, that they would impose their hatred on a whole group of innocents.

Our lives are a trail of tears. Each step we take is in question. We never know where life will take us, but we can be sure that as long as we remain, there will be trouble.  There will be sadness.  There will be tears.  And yet, even all of this darkness, there is a shining light that never goes out.

God is that light.  He never changes.  His consistency gives us hope to press on – to move forward in our travels at home or away.

Thank you, dear, Lord, for guiding our steps – for walking with us  – for giving us hope for the future and the promises of an eternal life, where tears no longer exist. Amen!