On The Road Again

We are in Williamsport PA this morning on the way to see my mother-in-law. When I was a kid it seemed like every family packed up during the summer and got in their car to explore America or at least to visit relatives. It seems, from the amount of people we've encountered, that there is still a good bit of that going on. People are less friendly, and are more cautious than I remember. The fear of terror in the middle of a seemingly safe world seems to be evident on many faces. The world is probably no more or less safe than it ever was, and yet the anxiety is tangible, the wariness visible.

For all who travel, either by car, plane, boat, rail - or any other means of transportation -there is as much to rejoice and wonder in as there is to be wary of. May we today enjoy every face we encounter, every expression of God's beauty we find, and every hidden village and homestead where people love and live. This world we travel through can be ignored, avoided or enjoyed. My prayer is to find a way to enjoy the journey and rejoice in the little twinge of anxiety at the pit of my stomach. I am alive and blessed with family, friends and a community of faith. And the open road and the world is ahead of us to explore. May we each this day find expressions of God's beauty and creation where ever we might roam. May fear be put to rest, may our eyes and hearts open and may we see the splendid gifts that surround us.