Yesterday was Yom Kippur – a day when Jews around the world atone for their sins and seek to deeply connect with God. One of the passages in my prayer book is very meaningful to me. It speaks about the journey of life and how we move through it learning our lessons and growing. I think its wisdom is a direct hit, revealing what life is about. I’d like to share it with you:
Birth is a beginning
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to maturity
And youth to age;
From innocence to awareness
And ignorance to knowing;
From foolishness to discretion
And then, perhaps, to wisdom;
From weakness to strength
Or strength to weakness –
And, often, back again;
From health to sickness
And back, we pray, to health again;
From offense to forgiveness,
From loneliness to love,
From joy to gratitude,
From pain to compassion,
And grief to understanding –
From fear to faith;
From defeat to defeat to defeat –
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that victory lies
Not at some high place along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage,
A sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning
And death a destination.
And life is a journey,
A sacred pilgrimage –
To life everlasting.
This is a time of great change on many levels. People are realizing that the old systems don’t work, and the present values are shallow. I’m coaching more and more people who are in transition, looking to find where their hearts lie and what they truly value. I feel that what we’re experiencing is a period time that potentiates a huge spiritual shift on this “sacred pilgrimage.” I’m praying for it. I’m looking for a time when people connect with their essential self and with that of others.
May journey year be joyful this year.