|
While I was in grade school, at John Burroughs Elementary, my family lived in Minneapolis. Among my many accomplishments was wearing the requisite parka and sash as I served as a school crossing guard in the 5th grade. Today as I was driving to work, I heard a quote attributed to John Burroughs (1837-1921) and I began to wonder who he was. I had always thought he was a Minnesotan. Turns out he was a naturalist, author, and educator from New York. Burroughs was a contemporary of Theodore Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, and Thomas Edison.
The quote from Burroughs was in the context of a presentation about being happy and mindful. The words were this: “To learn something new, take the path that you took yesterday.” Ok, I’ll ponder that one. But then I read another one when I went online for more research. I invite you to think about it with me as a new year unfolds with possibilities, as people enter our lives, as opportunities present themselves that bring risk and uncertainty: “Leap, and the net will appear.”
Will I hold on to the branch even as my fingers are slipping? Will I stay safe? Will I put my head down and miss what is before me? Will I walk away? Or…will I leap? You?
And then I remember these words that predate Burroughs by a few thousand years: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Here’s to more leaps in 2023.
See you on Sunday,
Lori
|
