Finding
Joy in the Journey
Just recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to
head from our home in Southeastern Idaho to visit our oldest son and his wife
in Western Oregon. We were very excited to see them again and spend several
days visiting the area surrounding where they live.
As we embarked on the roughly fourteen and a half
hour journey, we tried to prepare ourselves with plenty of snacks for the road,
several uplifting audio books and podcasts and the excitement of seeing some
things we had not witnessed before, along with the time we could spend with our
children.
The trip was filled with many wonderful experiences
including:
Stopping to visit my maternal grandparents’ graves,
which I had not been to since their funerals many years ago.
Catching up with my Uncle and Aunt who I hadn’t seen
in a long time.
Seeing the kids and playing lots of fun games and
having some wonderful visits and life discussions.
Eating at some new places, which along with the road
snacks, probably contributed to a significant weight gain during the experience
as well.
Getting to know the wonderful town of Bandon, Oregon
with its beaches and lighthouses.
Unfortunately some significant forest fires
prevented us from visiting several other places we would have loved to go, but
all in all the experience was wonderful.
We packed a lot into the days we were there and it was all tremendous
fun!
The most depressing part of the trip was facing the
long drive home, which when combined with several needed pit stops for both the
car and ourselves would take nearly 15 hours.
During this final stage of the journey, my wife and
I had just finished listening to some inspiring podcasts and were engaged in
some discussion and pondering over the content and how our own lives fit into
the things we were considering. You
know, purpose of life stuff and the times in which we live, etc… All good stuff, but things which stretch you
sometimes and make you consider where you are and what things you need to
improve on.
It was during this point, when my wife requested to
pull off on a short side road to visit a waterfall that was marked alongside of
the highway – Sahalie Falls.
It was just a short distance from the road but as
soon as we got out of the car and began to walk up the short path, something
magical happened. The trees were a lush
and verdant green, and the path was well taken care of and had the feel you
were walking into Rivendell from the Lords of the Rings or something of
that nature. The plants and bushes
swayed in a gentle, cool breeze and the sounds of wildlife were plentiful as
they rang out through the entire area.
The waterfall was only a short distance down the
path and when we saw, it literally took our breath away.
It wasn’t the biggest waterfall we had ever seen or
visited, not by a long shot, but it was surprising that walking down the trail
and seeing it was actually a spiritual experience of a sort.
We had been involved in some good, motivating and
uplifting events and discussions, so it caused me to think about what had
happened, and why it was such an inspiring experience. What had changed?
After some consideration while we were there, and in the continued drive which followed, I came
to the conclusion that what we had experienced was simple, natural, heaven-sent
JOY!
But how could this be? We had been engaged in many fun and exciting
events, spent some time with great company, and had listened to and talked
about many wonderful and spiritual things – all of which were very positive and
uplifting in their own right, but what we experienced at the waterfall with
didn’t involve any logic or thought or effort – it was simple JOY.
It might wound weird to some, but what I believe we
experienced was God’s creations – the waterfall itself flowing freely and
cascading in effortless patterns; the bushes, trees, flowers swaying in rhythm
with the natural breeze around them while reaching outward and upward, in
harmony with each other and the unseen air while breathing in and out through
their natural processes; the birds, chipmunks and wildlife all scurrying about
and singing their songs; the stones in the path grateful to be there in that
setting to support the feet of those who walked upon them to behold the scene.
All of these things in their own small and God-given
way, were singing and manifesting their praises to the Lord who had created
them – and it was palpable – and it had a direct impact on our souls as well. They weren't concerned about the cares of the world
around them. They weren’t involved in higher levels of thought, schedules and timelines or
planning. They were simply fulfilling
the measure of their creation and filled with and radiated JOY to be doing so!
Now don’t get me wrong, I fully acknowledge and
understand that life isn’t always a peaceful and joyous waterfall setting, and
that trials, challenges and growth are part of this journey called
mortality. But the simple lesson I was
taught in that setting was that perhaps at times, we need to stop being so
concerned about all of the worries and cares of things around us, and instead
take some time to simply experience the JOY that can be found in fulfilling the
measure of our creation.
“Men
are that they might have joy.” – 2 Nephi 2:25
Please don’t take this as a sign that you can just sit
around and sing Kumbayah all day and not have to do anything. That is not at all what I am suggesting. But what I am suggesting is that we should
take time to recognize the JOY that is manifest all around us each and every
day.
I truly believe that JOY, light and a life force is
truly radiating, penetrating and affecting all living things around us and
extends through the expanse of space and time.
You can call it the “Light of Christ”, the “Love of God” or whatever you
choose to call it. But I think if we are
not careful we can be completely blind to its influence and uplifting power if
we get too distracted and dulled by the worldly influences
around us.
Instead, perhaps we can tune into these other
frequencies of JOY, not only in nature, but also in the lives of others around
us, and YES, perhaps even within ourselves.
Because I believe this positive force of love and joy is there to help
us remember The Source of all of that Joy and Love – and to help keep us on the
path which leads back into His presence.
