Hobbits ~ Into the West (Closing Thoughts)

Greetings Dear Reader,

After a brief review of the topics I had jotted down to ponder in this part of our journey, I realized that even though I could discuss this for weeks you may not wish to do so.  There are also other ponderings weighing on my spirit and mind.  I want to draw out a few things that I wish to carry into the west.

I would not want you to think that I see Hobbits as flawless.  Even the noblest of us has flaws.  We have much to learn from these wee folk that translates readily to life.  We are on this journey that we did not choose but was chosen for us.  We, like Bilbo, landed in the middle of a story filled with danger and wonder.

We have the opportunity to learn from the success and failure of others.  We can grow to understand that love can lead us in many directions and on many adventures.  Without love, however, those journeys become unbearable.  If we love the wrong things they become dangerous and harmful. 

Bilbo and the other Hobbits love their home and people.  Their adventures benefit the whole of their people and by extension all people of their world.  They set out the door from their cozy Hobbit hole into the wide unknown.  All that they carry to begin with is a determination to follow where the path leads. 

Our call is really that simple.  Our adventure lies so far beyond our understanding as we pursue it.  We are not even always sure about what is around the next bend.  We do have the power to pursue all that we must if we do so in love.  We can endure the goblins, spiders, and dragons if it means that we have the opportunity to show our love to our fellow travelers.

Ultimately though, our adventure will turn to that unknown path to that Undiscovered Country.  We will eventually pass into the West and our adventure here will end.  Only our choices to love and be loved will endure.  Only the love we carry here will pass beyond that horizon with us.  We are given great stories like this one to remind us that even the best thing here is fleeting and temporary.

You, Dear Reader, are part of what I will take with me.  I will love you with every word I type and try to find ways to show it from my meager resources to do so.  Please find your courage to love others at any cost.  It is the price of peace and joy in our journey together.  Even the darkest days can be lighted with the love we carry if we choose it.

As I turn toward the next road I will take, I notice that each turn nudges me westward.  I hope to share a few more tales before the ship comes for me.  In the meantime, I will continue to try to hone my skill at showing you the love that we have from Christ and urging you to follow him with me.

Into the West - CamillasChoice

Lay down

Your sweet and weary head

The night is falling

You have come to journey's end

Sleep now

And dream of the ones who came before

They are calling

From across the distant shore

Why do you weep?

What are these tears upon your face?

Soon you will see

All of your fears will pass away

Safe in my arms

You're only sleeping

What can you see

On the horizon?

Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea

A pale moon rises

The ships have come to carry you home

And all will turn

To silver glass

A light on the water

All Souls pass

Hope fades

Into the world of night

Through shadows falling

Out of memory and time

Don't say

We have come now to the end

White shores are calling

You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms

Just sleeping

And all will turn

To silver glass

A light on the water

Grey ships pass

Into the West

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Mercy

Greetings Dear Reader,

“A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold sigh, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in the flash of a second. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by a new strength and resolve, he leaped.”

We need to be clear that at this moment Bilbo has Gollum at his mercy even though Gollum is unaware of it.  Perhaps there is little that reveals our hearts more than how we act when we have power over others and no one else sees it.  A person is at our mercy and has no idea that it is true.

Had Bilbo ended Gollum here other elements of the story would have unfolded much differently.  The reward for his mercy, however, is that he hears Gollum proclaim that Baggins is a thief and will be hated forever.  Bilbo will never again encounter Gollum but his part in the story is not finished.  Had Bilbo not shown mercy to the creature who wanted to kill him the story would not hold all the richness it does.

Mercy is often rewarded with further hurt to the merciful.  This is just the simple truth.  It is not our nature to see mercy as the opportunity that it is.  Rare is the individual who is deeply moved by mercy to the point that it changes him or her permanently.  Still, it should move us. 

We have been shown so much mercy by the Father that we need to replicate it whenever justly possible.  I have adopted the response that reflects my desire to remember that all that I have is due to God’s mercy.  When someone asks how I am I have a simple response: “Better than I deserve.”  It reminds me that I live under the grace and mercy of God at every moment. 

All that I have is a blessing from God.  All good things that I get are because of his grace.  Every time I do not get the bad things I deserve, it is his mercy.  I, in turn, must show that same mercy whenever possible out of love and gratitude.  Failing to do this means that I do not understand the level to which I need mercy.  It is one of the places where there is a reciprocal promise from God.

Jesus says clearly, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy.”   It is in this promise that we find the value of mercy outside of doing things for the sake of love.  It is our need for mercy that can drive us to be merciful until we learn to do it for the sake of love.

Bilbo receives great mercy that flows from his merciful act.  He is never really controlled by the One Ring.  He enjoys the benefits of the ring without being subject to its curses.  That can only be credited to the power beyond the ring showing the noble Hobbit mercy because of the mercy he shows to the ignoble Gollum. 

Mercy becomes a great weapon and protection when wielded out of love.  It is a way to demonstrate our love and vulnerability.  This can disarm our enemies and at the same time offer us further protection.  When we lovingly show mercy to those who deserve worse from us when open the ground for the Father to be more merciful to us. 

In the world through which we travel Dear Reader, we are daily in need of renewed mercy.  We will also have to have to show and renew mercy every day of the journey.  Even those who love us will repeat the same offenses day after day in some instances.  It is our obligation and benefit to be merciful whenever possible. 

It is in this merciful state that we can move forward with less burden and more grace.  We will have others at our mercy Dear Reader.  Let us remember that it is never wasted when we show mercy even when we know that the recipient will only betray us again.  Let us agree to show others mercy at its finest when they deserve it the least.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Moving Forward

Greetings Dear Reader,

“‘Go back?’ he thought. ‘No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!’ So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”

If we look at Bilbo flustered by the consumption of his food and mess in his home at the beginning of the tale, he is quite common.  By the time we reach the Goblin caves in the Misty Mountains, things are vastly different.  He understands he has to move forward.

The road has gone far from the door where he ran out without even a handkerchief.  Trading his walking stick for a sword had changed him.  The company of dwarves has changed him.  He has found the courage that always lived in him and he is a different Hobbit.

My dad used to express something whenever went to a place with great natural beauty like the ocean or a national forest.  He would stop everyone in what they were doing and say, “Look now because it will never be the same.”  He understands the constant change in the world and tried to teach it to us.

Further we not only live in a world that is constantly changing, but we are also different every day.  We are further down the path for ill or for good.  One cannot go back to what was.  Even if we could and all were exactly the same, we are different.  When I visit the stream where my Sons were baptized to pray for them, I notice just how different the place is.  It is the same location but many things about it have changed.

Memories are like that.  We want everything to be just as it was in that time, place, and moment.  What we fail to see is that the moment then was ours for that time.  This moment now is unique and has its own story for us.  The story is best when we see that no matter what the moment holds, Jesus is there loving us and speaking to our lives. 

His instruction is always to go forward.  Moving forward may mean returning to places where we have been but it never means returning to a time.  We may return to a home, a job, or a leisure pursuit that we have experienced before.  We and it will be different and we must approach it that way.  Everything moves forward even if it seems the same.

This is why we must love everyone in every moment.  They are not the same person they were even a moment ago.  Judging anyone on yesterday is to fail to see today.  I am not saying that there are no consequences or justice.  I am saying that I am supposed to love you every moment no matter what you did yesterday or even ten seconds ago. 

I have begun to think of it this way.  What you did that was wrong yesterday is on you.  You made the choices and you did wrong whether intended or not Dear Reader.  How I treat you today, however, based on what you did yesterday or in the last minute is completely on me.  I am required to forgive you, love you, and make room for you to grow through grace and mercy. 

The only way is forward.  The only attitude is that of love.  We must look for it from Christ and show it to others in every step.  The road goes forward no matter where we think we are going.  Each day and each instant is the opportunity to move forward.  This is the power to love, forgive, and find joy in our fellow travelers if we are willing to do so.  Tell me something about you that will help find more joy in you Dear Reader.  We can talk about it as we move forward.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Power

Greetings Dear Reader,

“[Gandalf]: Go away and leave it behind. Stop possessing it. Give it to Frodo, and I will look after him.’
Bilbo stood for a moment tense and undecided. Presently he sighed. ‘All right,’ he said with an effort. ‘I will'.”

Bilbo had possessed the One Ring of power for sixty years.  He held the power to rule over many things in his possession.  In some way or another, we all have power.  Some of us crave it over anything else.  Some of us wield it well.  The most difficult thing about power is letting go when necessary.  It is a clinging corrupting force that wishes to be used.

The One Ring exercised its power over the one holding it.  I would submit that no one but its creator every owned it.  The ring was designed to wield power over the other rings.  The intent of its maker was always to use it to hold power over the entire world. 

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Power is a tool that must be used for the benefit of others.  It must never be grasped as a possession or sought for as a treasure.  The effort to hold power is one that demands all from us and gives back only the desire for more.  When seen as a treasure it reveals itself to be fool’s gold instead.   I have had power and wielded it poorly.  I have had it and used it well.  Only the latter satisfied.

When Bilbo voluntarily gives up the One Ring, he is the first but not the only one to do so.  He lets go of power and is free to pursue the road to peace.  Others will offer to give it up.  Frodo offers it to both Gandalf and Galadriel.  Sam willingly gives it back to Frodo.  Only a few, including Hobbits it seems, understand that the power the ring offers is a lie.

I no longer desire power over anything except my own choices and only that so that I can do what is good and right.  I must not seek it.  I must have the wisdom to refuse it when offered.  Gandalf and Galadriel both had the grace given them to refuse the ring.  Knowing when to refuse power is a very valuable grace to receive.  We all need such grace when offered even the smallest power if that power is unsuited for us.

As we travel the way home there will be times when we have power over each other.  What we must do is see that only through humility, love, and grace can we use that power to further the journey and live it out well.  When we find that we are standing in the cloak of our power demanding things we are likely wrong.  It is when we use our power to show love even to those who are wrong that we wiled it well.  Perhaps the best use of power is to give it up so that others see our love for them.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Courage

Greetings Dear Reader,

“A sound, too, began to throb in his ears, a sort of bubbling like the noise of a large pot galloping on the fire, mixed with a rumble as of a gigantic tom-cat purring. This grew to the unmistakable gurgling noise of some vast animal snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of him.  It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. he fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.”  The Hobbit

How often do we think of battle and danger when we think of courage?  Most often our image of courage tends toward the extraordinary.  It leans toward the great stories and amazing events.

We need to remember that all around us and perhaps even in us are amazing acts of courage every day.  Most of our obviously courageous choices are made in the quiet dark when we are alone.  There, where no one else is watching, we choose to do the right thing.  We continue to do that which moves us along in the journey in the right way. 

As the road opens before us there may be many dangers and toils that require our courage.  We practice it by doing the hard work alone and without any words.  We do the brave thing when we continue to follow in faith when all else seems despair.  We are courageous when we believe in the midst of our own doubt. 

It is in our mind that we must find our courage long before we are faced with goblins, spiders, and dragons.  It is the daily choice to be courageous that prepares us for the visible challenges.  Someone recently called me a coward because of choices I made.  I will not debate their label or call them out.  Rather, I will say that I have only one solution to fear: love

Bilbo found his courage because of his love for his companions.  He ventured from his comfortable Hobbit hole to aid them because he cared for their quest to regain their own home and hearth.  He grew to love them on the journey and when faced with the dragon, chose his love over his own fear.

I have a friend who is showing amazing courage right now by facing the same fears and doubts she has for years but doing so in faith.  I had to make hard choices in order to face some things that I had long avoided.  The common thread I find is that sometimes others will see fear or cowardice when we are actually being very brave.  It is only through our own faith and in our own hearts that we know the truth of our choices.

I have had to face some of my deepest fears of late Dear Reader.  I admit that there are times when that fear has been in charge.  There have also been those who have had the courage to show me love anyway.  It is the constant evidence of love and compassion that casts out fear and creates the fertile soil in which courage can grow.  At the heart of every courageous act is love, even if it means showing it to those who do not deserve it in our eyes.

Have courage Dear Reader.  I may not be able to do everything the way you wish me to do it.  I will, however, love you and pray for you to find the courage to continue the journey in faith and hope.  I will love you no matter what you have done or do.  I promise to love you no matter how you have or will treat me.  It is the only sure way I know to mitigate my own fear and help with yours.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Hidden

Greetings Dear Reader,

In explaining why we no longer see Hobbits, Tolkien provides that they are good at hiding in the first place.  It is also noted that they are stealthy and light on their feet when they wish to be and that humans would hardly notice them anyway.  It is even implied that they may be hidden from us.

Much of the unexpected goodness of Hobbits comes from hidden character and courage that even they may not realize they possess until the moment.  They do not hide that they are good but they also possess a quiet humility that causes them to be unnoticed.  In the moment, though, they shine.

We are to be both hidden and visible all at once.  I do not wish fame as a writer.  I wish to be loyal to my gifts and the One who gave them to me.  I would prefer to make a difference quietly and steadily from the efforts I put forth in faith.  I do want to stand in front or lead.  I want to quietly do my part in encouraging others along the way.

We are to be visible because of our kindness, goodness, and generosity.  Even those, though, should hide us or help us fade and make Christ visible.  If I constantly work at decreasing my visibility and increasing his, then I can be hidden in the right way.  I can obtain that place of loving invisibly that places Jesus at the front and allows me to follow. 

If I hide in the right ways and none of the wrong ones, I can encourage and aid fellow travelers.  I can also find more richness in the journey.  I can enjoy the simple pleasure derived from being good to others and watching them see Christ in what I do.  In developing that habit is great joy Dear Reader. 

I am not there yet.  I have many things to shed before my feet are light enough not to tread on toes and sometimes hinder others.  I do, however, intend to keep moving in that direction.  You are always welcome with me.  Together we can help each other disappear until only Christ is seen and perhaps occasionally our Cheshire smile is there to remind others of our love for them. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Surprising

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned when I began this on Sunday that Hobbits will surprise you.  As we wander through their stories, we see this often.  They have surprising fortitude, strength, and courage.  They do the unexpected good thing.

In trying to avoid spoiling the tale too much for those who have not read it, I will say but this about it:  The Hobbits we get to know along the way choose to keep going when we would expect such a simple folk to quit.  They do the thing that must be done when it is called for.

We have no reason not to be the same.  We have no honest excuse not to have surprising faith, fortitude, strength, and courage.  We can honestly endure anything necessary for the sake of following Christ in love, kindness, and redemption.  We should surprise others with our level of compassion, generosity, and goodness.

It is necessary that I become surprising in my faith and following.  I must do good when it is not expected.  I must forgive and love when it not deserved or necessary.  It is to be a mark of my faith that I treat others well.  It is vital that I become surprisingly good.

I have so far to go but I wish to get there.  That journey is a long one.  That I am what gets in the way is obvious.  The habits and comforts that Bilbo loved almost kept him from joining the journey with Thorin.   He decided at the last moment to surprise himself by trying.  We should choose to do the unexpected good thing in every moment Dear Reader.  It is what will lead us on that great adventure we crave.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Hobbits ~ Chosen

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the first chapter of The Hobbit, Gandalf tells Thorin and company that Bilbo is the “chosen and selected” fourteenth member of their party.  We need to recall that it is Gandalf who marks Bilbo’s door and informs the Dwarves that the party is there at Bilbo’s home.  At the root of all that unfolds in the life of Bilbo and subsequently Frodo and the other Hobbits is the action of Gandalf to choose Bilbo.

When I ponder this, I consider what Gandalf’s purpose or purposes are.  They are not at all clear until one knows the rest of the story.  Bilbo does not seem at able to be a stealthy adventurous burglar.  This is, however, exactly what he becomes.  As the story unfolds, the Hobbit grows into exactly what he is meant to be from the beginning and more.

One cannon honestly read these stories without acknowledging that they are written from a world view that is focused on Christ and redemption.  Others have done a far better work at this analysis than I can do here.  I do want to delve a little into the idea of Bilbo being chosen.

We are chosen by God.  I will not debate the ideas of free will and predestination with you right now but we can discuss it at some point if you wish.  Rather, I want to look at the idea of God choosing us for things that we seem under qualified for and unable to do.  We are chosen and we respond to the choice to follow or not follow Christ. 

If our response is to do that which we are chosen for, the will and ability to do it will be provided.  Paul told the people who followed Christ in Phillipa that God is “at work in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure.”   I do not have to have all the ability and even the strength of will.  If I am willing to will then that is enough.  I can depend on the Father for the rest.

With Paul I also say, I believe.  Help my unbelief.  I also add:  I am willing, help my lack of will.  I love; help my lack of love.  I am humbled; help my humility.  I am patient; help my patience.  I will follow; help me to follow.

Whatever I have when God chooses me is enough.  In depending on him to provide and guide I will obtain the rest as needed.  My first glimmer of what lies ahead in both the Tolkien stories and in life is the understanding that I was chosen for a purpose.  It is heading out the door to the adventure that I find that purpose realized.  It is following in faith that gets me to the place I need to be in order to realize my purpose.  It is also realizing my purpose to simply follow in faith. 

We are chosen for a purpose Dear Reader.  That should be enough to get us out the door.  Keep walking with me and let us see together what unfolds.  Your company makes the road less tiresome and the adventure more delightful.  

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

“My dear Frodo!’ exclaimed Gandalf. ‘Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.”  ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

If you have not read Tolkien then I must say that your life lacks a richness I wish it to have.  The four novels about Hobbits and the Ring of Power give insight and understanding to living a good life.  I have read these almost every year since I was introduced to them as a boy. 

I have read about novels, seen the movies old and new, and taken classes on the author.  Reading all the notes and other tales by Tolkien is delightful.  It is, however, repeating this journey with Bilbo and then Frodo and his companions that stirs something in me each time I do so.

I find through the years and the journey through these stories informs my journey through reality in important ways each time.  Of note to me is the character of Hobbits.  I think that as Tolkien intended, we can learn much about our journey from theirs.   I am not going to spoil the tale too much for those who have not read it.  I urge you to read them.

I am going to ask the Hobbits to walk with us for a bit.  Their company will help me work through some of the things I need to hone in my journey home.  The Hobbit is a lovely creation.  We are too Dear Reader.  Let learn from them how to better follow the road home.  As always, I treasure your thoughts and questions.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Fellow Travelers ~ The Long Haul

Greetings Dear Reader,

In The Hobbit, as Thorin, Bilbo, and company are about to enter Mirkwood, Gandalf warns them, ” Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives, though I hope he is not expecting you.”

He warns them not to stray from the path.  He explains that finding it once left is not an easy task.  The path was the safe way through though.  It was the way in and the way out.  Then the path became their reality and they forgot its goodness.  “But they had to go on and on, long after they were sick for the sight of the sun and of the sky, and longed for the feel of wind on their faces. There was no movement of air down under the forest-roof, and it was everlastingly still and dark and stuffy.”

Sometimes the road can seem long and we become weary.  We become tempted to try shortcuts, take a different path, or go it alone.  These things do not work.  The path is the path. It is narrow and hard to find again once we leave it.  Even when things are dank, dark, or suffocating the path is the place to be. 

As fellow travelers we are meant to be on the path.  We are designed to support and care for each other.  We are to keep each other on the path through love and encouragement.  The group of fellow travelers in The Hobbit failed to care for each other and got lost first in their own complaints and wants.  They were lost long in their minds before they ever set foot off the path.  They forgot that the path was the safest way through when they needed it most.  They forgot to keep each other on it.

The long road home will have place where we do not walk in the sun.  It will be Mirkwood at times.  We will feel like we are suffocating under the oppressive environment.  The truth is that the only way out is through.  The fellow travelers we have need encouragement to stay the path.  We do too.

It is in the caring for each other when the path is dark and dank that we realize the great value of fellow travelers.  We must not reject them when they come along side us and remind us that we need to stay the path.  We must not disregard them when they warn us not to dwell on our wants over keeping to the course.  We must encourage them when they need it as well.

I am sure that the dismal parts of the journey have much to teach me.  I am tempted to find a shortcut or blaze a new path altogether.  I have tried that before and failed. It is hardest when I get my eyes off of the journey, the purpose and only see the darkness and feel the humidity.  The long haul is weary but the only way out is through. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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