Photo Friday: The Other Side

My mom took this picture many years ago, back when we all still used film. It was taken in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, at the family campground where my family has spent the past 25 summers, where my parents still spend all their time from "school's out" (they're both teachers) through Labor Day weekend.


I love this picture, I have a large version of it framed and hanging in my home. This is a path I've been down hundreds of times before, and it leads from one beautiful beach to another. In the daytime, it's a short, pretty walk, only a few hundred yards with a gorgeous beginning and a gorgeous ending. But, I've also walked down it at night, in the dark.

When it's dark outside, this path, though familiar to me, is still scary. There are lots of tree roots in the path, it's easy to stumble. There are a few small curves and if you don't see them coming, it would be easy to end up with your face planted firmly into the side of a tree. A few feet to one side is a lake, so a few wrong steps and you'll end up in the water. And the mosquitoes? Merciless!

Isn't that so true of life? When it's darkest, even the most familiar path can be difficult, sometimes frightening. If it's a path you've never been down before, it's even worse. But sometimes, you just have to trust that the path really does end, in a safe, sometimes beautiful place. Trust and strength and courage aren't always easy, but if you take your time stay the course and pull yourself back up if you fall, you'll always make it through to the other side.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat