Ever Onward, Fellow Pilgrims!

Leafing through my journal, I found this passage. I didn’t recognize it at first, because it seemed like someone was talking to me, instead of me talking to myself.  I share these words with you today. May they urge you onwards on your own journey. 

Go into the silence of your heart and listen. There is a dream buried there, placed there by God when He created you. That dream is the reason you are here. That dream is the seed, and your job in this lifetime is to get out of that dream’s way and let it grow into a stately cedar. Don’t worry. He has given you the talent, the skills, the passion, to manifest this dream He placed in your heart. Give no attention to the nay-sayers. Do not expect the people around you to understand, and do not be reliant on their encouragement or approval. They follow different dreams and are not privy to the conversations you have with God in your heart. What is in your heart is between you and God, so how would anyone else know? Do not be influenced by the pessimism of those around you. Smile politely when they attempt to sway you with their logic, but continue on the way He has laid out for you (that only you can see) with faith and courage in your heart.  Have no fear, for He walks by your side, and His Angels and Saints accompany and protect you on your journey. He showers you with graces every step of the way.

A "sign" from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul 
(Can you tell that I love Paolo Coelho's "The Alchemist"?)