DearTom:
I don’t know about you, but as for myself and many others when we were young, self was at the center of our life. Not that we were selfish at that point in our lives, we had feelings for others and we had it in us to be a good friend. We were aware of the wider world and other’s sadness and weariness. We believed in God, but he seemed remote and mysterious compared to the immediate absorbing reality of ourselves. We knew that finding, protecting, nurturing and enjoying that self wasn’t “everything.” But to a large extent it was everything that mattered. That, in our youth, was the surface we floated on.
Then the journey begins and on that road we encounter love, parenthood, accomplishments and goals reached. We also face failures and tragedies, and loss begins to travel with us, more and more, along our path. There are times, when we continue to float on the surface of self, lest we drown in the depths of the reality of our journey. Yet, despite our inclination to remain on the surface we are drawn to the depths of life. The depths contain not only our needs but the deep needs of others, including our closest friends. The depths contain the mystery of our existence and of others. To lose track of the depths is to lose track of the journey itself. To lose track of the depths is lose track of the high adventure and sacred purpose of our journey. So as we travel on our journey our eyes, ears, hearts draw us to the very depths of life, and will not allow us to just skim the surface.
Your Friend, Webb
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