And it's OK to not like the tough spots;
don't think every moment
will be incandescent. It won't.
It's all part of the journey.
The task is to walk on anyway,
disliking the chill, but still walking,
still looking upward.
Accepting the arduous
with quiet flexibility
is the mark of heroes.

Something inside us knows
the Light is there even when
our eyes cannot glimpse it;
Something inside us knows
our destiny is joy,
and nothing else.

Every stretch of the road,
grim or glorious,
has its own irreducible purpose.
It's a test, it's a test.
The Light is asking
can you see Me when I've ducked
around the corner?
Can you hear Me whisper
when you are bound by rocks?
If you can do that--
if you will use your soul
as an internal compass
to navigate through bitter waters,
you win it all.