Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The Road's Freedom

Most of you know that I am making my way to Bozeman, MT this week to visit with my daughter and her beau as she begins her third year of college studies now a Montana State Bobcat.  She has made this part of the world as much her home as any having worked her fifth summer at Yellowstone.

I've made a trip like this three times.  Once in the famous "platform Saab," my first Prius, my second Prius and now my third (last?) Prius.  I've posted my itinerary on the parish Facebook page.  Wednesday is the longest haul from Black River Falls, Wisconsin to Theodore Roosevelt NP in far western North Dakota.

I travel without the benefit of the radio.  Silence or talking to myself is the mode.  A bunch of what happens is straight up prayer.  God gets to hear everything with every emotion and every "tone" of voice.  I've even had to pull off to let the tears flow.

There's something about being by myself, with just enough occupation on the road and my driving to minimize those distractions that plague my hyper mind.   Walking my labyrinth does the same for me.

The freedom of those miles that I love has much less to do with distance or only being encumbered by an itinerary but much much more with a sense that it's just me and God.  Sometimes I let God have a say. (winking emoji) To me that means I've got a lot less in the way.  Things like self defense or trying to win an argument.

Every time I've gone on one of these trips I've come back with some clarity or understanding that I had not packed.  I'm getting to where I intend for that happen.  I don't want to jinx it so I'll stop. (same emoji)

Some of my sense of freedom is that I am with God on this road.  It connects me to the first name for those crazy Christians: the People of the Way.  It's still true that when we are moving forward WITH God we share a freedom like no other.

I'll be back September 13 excited about the road WE are on and how God is with us.


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