The Path: A Fork in the Road

At the end of this week one half of a good team leaves for Mississippi.  At the end of next week, I will leave.   Although Rick was family, we knew little of each other until he came to work with me.  Over the past year we have grown close as we overcame obstacles on the job, and enjoyed good company when we were not.  Our new friendship and closeness as family will continue; the team will continue. When I wrote The Path last month, I was after something that would define why I write; why I post so many ideas that seem to have become so important to so many readers, whether they agreed with me or not.  I had no idea how important it would become to me, and how much it would define that which was about to happen in all of our lives.  

We leave behind us many memories and new friends, as well as some old, to carry on where we leave off.  Their task will be multiplied without us but I know they will persevere because these are the quality of people I have come to know, respect, and love.

For me, I leave behind many old friends, many dear friends that have no idea the effect they have had on my life.  These are friends I fully expect not to see again in this life, but hope like all get out that I do.  These are friends that have literally saved my life; friends I have cried with when they hurt, lent a shoulder to when they needed a friend, and laughed with when we did something stupid.  There was plenty of stupid.

We tend not to think about the effect those that we leave behind have had on our lives, and the effect we have had on theirs.  They are friends and acquaintances that will be missed, and this, for the most part, is true.  But who we leave behind is at least as important as what we take away, for without these cherished few we take nothing with us but what we brought, and isn't that just sad to consider.

I leave these friends, these comrades, these members of an extended family, one of the few things I hope they will understand, as it comes from my heart.

The Path

This is my path.

It is not your path, it is mine.

Good or bad, it is my path.

I must travel it alone.

That is your path.

It is not mine or theirs, it is yours.

Good or bad, it is your path.

You must travel it alone.

At time our paths might intersect

Or, run parallel for a while.

We will visit, laugh, and cry.

Exchange experiences and offer advice.

At some point we may part

Perhaps to join up again

As our destination is the same

And our journey is long.

I wish for you a smooth path,

And a long, interesting, journey

Full of emotion and life,

Family and friends.

We will not arrive together,

Though our destination is the same,

But, I will wait for you, my friend

As I know you will wait for me.