step by faithful step

sometimes people walk onto our path and are suddenly and automatically in step with us.

it is synchronous, and neither one misses a beat as we continue to walk in this unspoken rhythm.

other times they stumble and fall onto our path,

or we onto theirs,

and we help each other up,

dust each other off,

and continue on,

with messy hair and tiny pieces of grass or pebbles stuck into our palms,

only this time when there is less room on the path, it feels expansive and clearer.

and although we are now not walking alone, we feel an encouraging and liberating freedom.

and although we are now both sharing what we carry, and carrying for the other, we feel lighter.

we don't always walk side by side … sometimes they are in front of us, sometimes we ourselves lead, 

sometimes playfully with arms outstretched and one foot in front of the other like we are on a balance beam,

other times in silence and trepidation,

and in trust. 

sometimes our path starts to look different than it did before.

the air can feel different too, and things can sound completely unfamiliar.

we might not even recognize where we are, or even where either of us is going. 

we sometimes cannot tell whether it's our path ... or theirs … 

in our awareness we know we are small yet we are big enough to know that it is not solely our journey.

and when darkness settles in and the stillness wraps around us, we see more than we do in the brightest of light,

we feel more than when we search with open hands,

and we know we are in exactly the right place,

at the right time,

every time.