Will They Matter At All

"Stepping onto a brand new path is difficult,

but not more difficult than remaining in a situation,

which is not nurturing to the whole woman."

Maya Angelou

We do not know what will happen in our future, and perhaps this is a good thing.  If we could see all the twists and turns waiting for us, we might choose to not move forward at all.  

As it is, there are boulders to be climbed and streams to be waded through.  Rain can cleanse our face or freeze like the driven snow.  We can hide in caves or hitch hike on life's super highway.  So many choices with so few clues.

Lessons are presented before us until we finally master the skill, but during the repetition, how do we know if we are simply making the same mistake or traveling the same ground to finally get it right?  We walk down through deep valleys and linger in dark forests.  Thankfully, we eventually struggle upward bound and rise to the top seeing beauty and wisdom.  Then like a rock, we roll back down again.

Like the seasons of summer, winter, spring and fall, we move through segments of our life.  We loop through these phases year after year producing varied harvests.  Some have been impaired by blight while others may be bountiful.  

This spiraling, going round and round, can disorientate the wisest traveler.  Like a horse on a carousal, we anticipate breaking out into a trot, but when the world whisks by going faster and faster are we not inclined to shout out, "STOP"?

The basket we carry our memories in, does it stay behind carefully tended by our loved ones?  The nurturing and care we have extended to ourselves, will it make a difference when the race is done?  The roads we have traveled, are they marked on our hearts?  The bits and pieces of our spirit we have left behind, will they become the road signs for others?  

So many questions and when the answers are apparent, will they matter at all?