The Guiding Arrow

Perhaps this life is about remembering who you really are. Walking like Hansel and Gretel into the dark forest, dropping bread crumbs to find your way home. What trauma does is send in the wolves to eat the bread crumbs so we can’t find them when we look for them. Yet, the path out of the darkness remains. The path has always been there, it has been obscured, hidden, gotten completely covered over. But it’s there.

My father had always wanted to walk the Camino de Compostela in Spain. He had learned about it in the 1950’s when he was living in France. The Camino is one of the oldest Christina pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Having wanted to make the journey, my father put aside this dream when he met my mother, had five kids, and lived a full life. Many years later, almost fifty years later, my mother had died, my father was 84 and he remembered his dream. My sister and I offered to go with him.

Ah, I digress from the main part of the story.

Over the centuries, the Camino had fallen into disrepair. People who walked the Camino had a difficult time finding their way. The path, even today, can be pretty treacherous. Someone decided to help and walked the Camino a box of spray paint and marked the way with arrows: this is the way. Now this way. Take this right.

Those arrows guided our journey. We walked the last 100 k’s which still took 10 days. Those arrows marked the path, and brought us to the cathedral in Santiago de Compestolo.

This story comes to mind as I reflect on my what I'm up to in this life. As I listen inside I'm aware that part of my path is to illuminate that path for others who suffer. Part of what I am called to do is be a signpost on the journey – go this way – this way, try this…. We get lost in this dark period of our life, We feel stuck and unfortunately feel terribly alone. Yet, we aren’t. You aren’t.

What I want is to create a resilient community of people who understand the dark and forboading world of trauma, who have lived the chaos but are willing to serve as helping hands, as guides along the way.

You are not alone. There is help on the road. The path is there. You can, and will, find your way to safety, sanctity, care, kindness, possibility.