Lessons I have Learned

THE LONELY ROAD

I may have questioned often the reason for my birth
There were times I doubted why I was on this earth
My Dad was never there, nor did he play his part
By providing stability, or protection for my heart

Mum was often missing too, for reasons unexplained
Thus my view of family life has always been quite strained
Why these two individuals were chosen to parent me
There seemed no rhyme or reason as far as I could see

In anger in my early years I would scream 'why was I born?'
There was no place for happiness in a life so badly torn
In pain and anguish at this mess too soon I did rebel
I began to wonder if my birth was spawned in hell

In seeking a panacea for the ills that haunted me
I sipped from every cup of evil this life offered free
This lonely road I travelled with bitterness and disdain
The smile I wore was camouflage to hide the inner pain

But all too soon I realised that there is a price to pay
I knew if I was to survive I must change without delay
There came a revelation ... only I could take the blame
For I'd let my heart grow cold, and this was to my shame

Self pity came from looking in, instead of reaching out
Hatred sapped up all the joy of that there is no doubt
That is when I turned to the Lord Who dwells above
What a relief to find, at last, my heart was filled with love

I learned a lesson from rejection and a sense of loss
These were simply tools designed to cut away the dross
Heartache was never sent to try and take me out
Rather to learn compassion and what life is all about

Life is what we make it; the path is ours to choose
We won't understand another till we walk in his shoes
Seems to me the pain of life is something to surrender
Then God can turn it round, make our hearts so tender

Then we can identify when we see another's pain
The lessons in life are not a loss, rather for others gain
Compassion causes action, thus the road that we have trod
Becomes the iron that fashions man into the image of his God.
C. Lynne Drake, 2010

Even as a small child, I had a desire to travel. Implanted deep in my heart, was an intense desire to go to Africa. It certainly was not the first country I visited outside Australia, Nashville USA being the winner.

In 1996, as I was buying a satellite photo of Australia in a map shop, I saw a large map of the world hanging on the wall. Without thinking, I pointed to it and said loudly, "Don't limit God, give me the world! Wrap it up!"

One year later I bought my first world ticket, circling the globe in 12 weeks. I went to Los Angeles, hopped across the southern states, Texas, New Mexico, then up to North Carolina, and New York. From there across UK, down to South Africa then home again. For the next six years I followed pretty much the same route, adding in France, Nigeria and Namibia.

The friends that I have made, the amazing things I have seen are now etched indelibly in my heart. My life has changed dramatically.

Life is a journey with many twists and turns, but at the end of the day the destination is not so important as the views, the challenges, and the people you meet along the way.

Many times I have felt like a car that has broken down on the side of the road, neglected and lost, but someone always comes along and helps. These random meetings can turn out to be the most rewarding moments in life, leaving memories in the treasury of the heart.

These cameos are what I hope to share as I travel this road called Life.


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