Pictures and Words from My Retreat

A new road beckons
at my doorstep
a new stage in my life-journey . . .
Something in me
welcomes its promise:
the hope of bountiful blessings
of fresh perspectives
of old dreams . . .

Something in me
shrinks from it in timidity:
the swiftness of the passing years,
the challenge of what's ahead.

Something in me
fears the road ahead:
the unnamed events of future days,
the wisdom needed
to walk love well,
the demands of letting go,
of growing, and growing older . . .

The new road beckons.
With trembling hands
and faltering steps, I move
to open my heart's door to it.
My heart leaps with surprise,
for there, standing beside the road
God beckons with outstretched hand!

He smiles and gently asks me:
"Shall we walk this road together?"

-- (adapted from Joyce Rupp)


This poem was given to me at the closing of my annual personal retreat. It reminded me of the previous description of my blog, which I wrote a couple of years ago:


I rode the train and thought I knew the destination. I was wrong. I got off at a station and realized I had overpacked my bags but left the essential things for my journey. I stood at the platform, lost and forced to wait. I thought that maybe that wasn't my real platform and my train was invisible to the naked eye. Then I saw a Man wearing a white seamless garment, walking towards me. He had kind, brown eyes that hid how long He had been waiting for me. I was Home.


The pictures of the mini-waterfalls at the Cenacle Retreat House were taken using my cellphone camera.