May 15, 2016 – From Sr. Barbara Wincik

It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route’ and make a beaten track for ourselves … The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of [all]; and so the paths with which the mind travels. How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity! – Henry David Thoreau As I reflected on the words of this poem I thought of them as metaphor for Change. How ingrained we become with the same thoughts, rituals and behaviors. How little do we allow ourselves to stretch, to reach out beyond our protective coatings! How fearful it is to think of any change that may cause an upheaval in our secure worlds. And yet we are called every day to traverse beyond that which keeps us traveling the same old path, kicking up the same dust and making the ruts deeper. Let us challenge each other to see new things, new possibilities, new life and new adventures. Let us be open in mind, heart and spirit.