Preparing For The Journey

There are many things that I love about travel. Seeing new and unique places, meeting people from other cultures, tasting local foods and seeing a bigger picture of our world all rank high on the list. But the element that probably defines me as a true travel geek is the fact that I love preparing for the journey...almost as much as the journey itself. 

Soon, I will be traveling to Spain and I've been enjoying the preparation for this journey. I've been brushing up on my  non-existent Spanish skills.  While I certainly am not conversational, I can ask for directions and order a beer....which, let's be honest, can amount to survival skills. I've also been reviewing my itinerary and creating a detailed packing list (another geeky thing I love...lists) and am enjoying planning what clothes to bring and envisioning the places I will wear them. I will pack too much as I always do and swear that "next time, I will not pack so much!"  I'm thinking about my responsibilities at work and planning what I need to take care of prior to leaving, what will need to be addressed during my journey, and what I'll need to take care of once the trip is done. It's said that the trick in life is to "not look for joy in the destination, but rather in the journey". I believe that to be true, and for me, some of the joy is in preparing for the journey itself. However, not all journeys are eagerly anticipated and preparing for those journeys not so joyful.

On Friday of last week, my older brother, Mike, received some very difficult news. He has been battling health issues for many years. He's a fighter and has overcome numerous health obstacles. But it seems that his body is tiring of the fight and now his doctor has told him that it is time for him to prepare for what will come next for him. As he begins to take this all in, he is suddenly faced with what must seem like endless preparations: appointments with hospice, medications to be administered, paperwork to be managed, people to be informed, wishes to be communicated, material decisions to be made, family to be held and prayers to be spoken. With a difficult journey ahead and preparations to be made, Mike is doing what he must and he is continuing to fight. 

It's a journey that each of us will make. Some of us will be given the opportunity to prepare and others of us may not be allowed that time. And even though we know this in our heads and know that we probably should be taking a moment each day to make these same preparations, we feel a false sense of luxury in the time we have ahead of us. 

But if I might, I will ask you to do two things today. First, if you have a moment, please send up a prayer for Mike - a prayer for his health, his strength, and his comfort as he continues to face life's challenges. And second, take just a moment to consider the words that he shared yesterday...."Be good. Love everybody."  I think that about sums it up...what else could there be?