Going Upstream

Going upstream

“We are very reasonable creatures, but to feel the grace of God, one must forget about reason and go on a pilgrimage to a place where we no longer ‘see as through a glass darkly,’ to a place where we are able to see with eyes of gratitude, rather than with eyes of conquest.” George Grinnell,  A Death on the Barrens

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We sit by the Mississippi River near Memphis watching barges move slowly upstream on this late December cold windy morning. The few dog walkers and runners along the shore move faster than the endless barges churning up white water as they move against the current.  The covered barges ride high on the water. They must be empty but are still straining to travel upstream to be filled more inland on the banks of this mighty river. Where is their destination? St. Louis?

I hope to remember these upstream barges. I like leading my life more easily, moving downstream, going with the flow. Sometimes, however, I am called to go against the crowd, upstream. It will help if I travel lightly, not take myself so seriously, not carry a lot of my own baggage, not be on a right or wrong conquest, know that the journey upstream moves slower than journeying downstream, and remember to speak my truth with gratitude for the opportunity I have been given.

Joanna joannaseibert.com