Personal Journey

No one knew your purpose of destiny
as you entered into this world
first cradled safely in the arms of your mother.
as you begin your life-journey...
Wondering to yourself for "Who am I?"
"Why am I here?" "Where am I going?"

***

Looking back at the span of my life...
Traveling through from known to unknown journey.
At times alone and barefoot, hunger and naked:
I have climbed steep hills,
walked crooked roads, dived into deep waters.
My soul has been forged by life's fiery trials.

***

Rains fall on both good and evil:
tragedy, suffering and sacrifice.
I am like a trembling sparrow
in the hands of the Master...
My heart fills with innumerable blessings_
From the countless friends who touched my life.

***

Through all the back roads and paths beyond,
I held the vision of a distant harbor safely in my heart.
Never forgetting my humble beginning.
My Father's Spirit...
the fixed point of a compass,
guiding me home in troubled Seas.

***

Discovering my life-journey
On this lonely pilgrimage.
And if, upon arrival, finding the destination
is not exactly as I had chartered.
I should not be dismayed, neither be disappointed,
For the journey itself is the true worth of my travels.

***

True discovering my pilgrimage
From "cradle to grave"-the span of life,
lies not in what path you traveled,
who was with you or what you have accomplished,
but 'who I have become' along the way,
and finding peace at yourself, at last!

***

I finally see my home in the distance-
I hear the cheering voices.
Looking to above with gratitude...
The "depth", "breaths" and "height" of my life,
There is my Father in the doorway...
He bends closer and whispers, "You are my Heart".

Takashi "Thomas" Tanemori