Travelling Light: Wild Advent

A few years ago, I hiked 30 or so miles of the Appalachian Trail with my husband during one of the hottest weeks of the summer. In my backpack were things I would never use. It was so heavy. 

The ancient people who traveled through the wilderness knew how to travel light. The wilderness was about survival under the most difficult circumstances. The wilderness was about learning to let go of control and trust the Creator of the universe. 

In the Hebrew Bible, luminaries like Moses and Hagar met God in the terrible wildness of the natural world. Jesus seemed to enter the wilderness somewhat willingly after his baptism. Meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges there, Jesus emerged from the wilderness ready to get the job done. Wilderness experiences can shape us, make us stronger, more resilient, and trusting of God. Excess stuff only slows us down.

💛

Travelling Light

Because sometimes we travel heavy
and those heady times we can barely
imagine the freebody movement of dance.

Because sometimes we travel dark

and from those hard paths we can’t even
conjure an image of sunrise or moonrise or starlight or fire.

Because sometimes we travel solo

and those lonely times we forget all the others
we’ve travelled with lovingly
travelled with home.

Because sometimes we need to be 
travelling lightly
because sometimes we’re in need of
regular reminding
that light comes in circles
and waves
and small moments
and light
comes to find us
and light comes with hope.

~~Pádraig Ó Tuoma