I was going through an old journal the other day and I found a scrap piece of paper stuck in the back.  It was dated January 5, 2006.  On it I had written this:

We are all on a journey of discovery; a journey of life. Along the way we stumble and fall.  We make wrong turns and follow bad directions.  We get completely lost.

Some days are bright and sunny. They are warm and delightful. They are filled with all the good things we can think of; friends, laughter, great food, gentle breezes that tickle our face. We love those days and bask in the beauty of them. They fill our hearts to overflowing with peace that all is well, life is good, and we are good. We wish those days would last forever.

There are other days; dark days.  It rains and pours.  The sun never shines and the winds whips through to our very souls.  It howls against the windows. It’s bitter cold and icy.  We find ourselves reclusive on days like this.  We pull into ourselves and hide from life.  We’re grumpy and overwhelmed with an unexplainable sadness.  Our outlook is grim.  We act as thought these days of rain and cold will never end.

Somewhere in between are the days in which we live. Some of the sunniest days of the summer are spent hiding from the realities of life that seem so bitter and cold.  The darkest days of winter can be filled with the most laughter and fondest memories.

Life is all in how we approach it.  We can find joy and peace anywhere; rain, sun, winter, summer, everywhere in between. Our goal in life must be to live each day as though it was the most beautiful day we’ve lived yet, no matter what comes our way because it may be our last.  We don’t know the forecast of tomorrow or even a guarantee tomorrow will come.  Each day is beautiful in and of itself.  It’s full of surprises—good and bad, fun and miserable, exciting and dreadful. Each day lived full of love, joy, peace, and love is a beautiful day.

Now I don’t know if I copied this down from a book or if it’s an original Deep Thought of my own. As I read it I realized that this idea of life being a journey is certainly not a new concept to me.  In fact I’d say it’s one of my core beliefs.  Each day builds upon the last to make you the person you are today and the person you will become.

In creating this new blog, which really is just a fresh chapter of my old blog, I wanted the title and look to convey the idea of life being a journey.  (Obviously I have a ways to go in getting the Blog to look how I want it to. 🙂 ) In that same journal I had written this quote from A.W. Towzer that summed up how I was feeling perfectly.

The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t come to THE END OF THEMSELVES. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us.

The best part of the journey comes when we get to the end of ourselves.  We let go of all that we’ve held on to.  We release it to the Lord.  We give up our rights and invite Him to lead us wherever He desires and we joyfully follow Him, knowing full-well that trusting Him doesn’t guarantee us a life free from pain and heartache.  We know full-well that when pain and heartache  come He is faithful to carry us through.  He is always there for us.  He’ll never let us go and never let us down.  He loves us with an everlasting love.

So for now I’m going to test drive this blog title for a while and see how it feels.  It’s definitely a concept that has been a HUGE part of my life these past few years, and one I hope to never stray from.  However, I’m not 100% sold that this is THE title for my blog.

(Ugh.  This is so like naming a child. Beyond HARD!!!)

But for now…

The End.

(See.  “The End.” Not sure I love that.  Clever? Maybe.  But me?  I’m not sure yet.  What do you think?)