The paths I walk are now well worn
Decades of walking the same trails and paths
What makes it new again each time
Looking for something that sparks a new thought or memory
The Rock where she sat and seeing her the one I love
Walking a little slower now
I see the leaves dropping
They fall more slowly than years before
The woods a bit more restful at dusk
The sounds of summer echoing in the air, calming my anxious heart
What was the breath and the height of the day today?
Was it talking with a friend along the street?
Or was it seeing old photographs - my heart skipping beats?
The call, beauty on the call, the image of her in early life now today cariried on
or the text -requesting help for uncommon times, or just to let me know, -thinking of me
Was it the words I read this morning in the quiet, the sun coming up over the hill,
“Think of it, the sky, the Earth,
and everything on it”
Choosing you to be His own- the wonder
Wind blown trees uprooted across the well worn path
Can’t see very far ahead, but unearthed a new way
“You’ll get there, a light breeze against my face
Detour and turns, fragrant pine and earth in the air
Anxiety sinks down, straight on to the circumstance; calmly, faith rising, sinking deeply into my heart
The sun setting, footsteps along the path
Hope all around, walking together, remembering
“the best is still yet to come”
The Paths I Walk, Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta
About this poem: The Paths I Walk is a poem about a path I frequently walk in the woods. Jayne and I walked this path when we were first engaged, and after I gave her an engagement ring we took pictures on a rock near the path.
That was forty-four years ago. We still walk this path, but the woods have changed- trees have fallen, and a wind shear early in the year block the path with fallen trees unearthed at the roots. More recently, I took a walk and was just thinking about how many times obstacles are placed in our way in life and many times our path is not a straight shot, but there’s turns, and high cliffs, and deep valleys that we go through, but we need to know that God is with us and cares for our welfare and lowers our anxious cares and points us to a future and a hope and “the best is still yet to come!”
“And He will be leading you. He’ll be with you, and He’ll never fail you or abandon you. So don’t be afraid!”
(Deuteronomy 31:8 voice)
“And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; he will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
- Joe Holuta
