You might think the picture above was a mistake.  But I took the picture on purpose.  It was taken during my eight day retreat in Guelph, Ontatio in late November.

On the wondrous grounds of Loyola House, which is the Jesuit retreat house and training center, there are numerous trails to walk and pray and reflect.  I travelled these paths so often as part of my eight days.  I walked and pondered my journey up until that moment and the journey yet to be finished.

Our life takes many paths, and a huge part of that journey is to walk it with integrity and love.  It is to often filled with risk,  a need to walk with courage and much trust that the journey is not one we walk alone. It is a path that can be filled with intense joy but also with intense pain and questions.  Every so often we need to sit down on tha path and sit with our lives, our questions.  There is a blending it with our relationship with God and with others.

Here at L'Arche Daybreak, often we sit down and evaulate the lives of the core members, and look at their stories of where they have come from.  By times we need to look at their lives and how they are dealing with their own stories today.  There are times we must adjust and help them to face new points in their lives.  But they realize that with our love and God's friendship that they are not alone.

Our paths are sacred journeys that must be cared to and nutured for us to be at peace.  Advent is a time when we face our Christian journey and see how the path calls us to be faithful to our relationship with God.  it is a question of knowing that the paths are not always straight, but always with a friend.  Until next time.

Jeff