The noun, Rumination, means a deep considered thought about something.

Last weekend, my wife, two sisters and their husbands, and I went on a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One sister lives in Pittsburgh and we seldom get to see her, so this trip was made to have that special time together before we get any older and perhaps not have the ability to do such things due to the development of illness or other infirmity that comes with old age.

The weather in Gatlinburg was in the 80s and the scenery with the hills and Smokie Mountains breathtaking. We rented a home for Saturday and Friday on the Gatlinburg hillside where the magnificent view was always in front of us. It was breathtaking. 

The only challenge was the very small road that we had to drive in switchback fashion up and down the hillside leading to the home as well as the homes of other vacationers and residents. If a driver was to misjudge the distance from one’s car to the edge of the road, that person would either be found in a deep six-foot ditch (which we saw one person stuck in upon our arrival) or fall thousands of feet down the hill where the chance of survival would be minimal. My wife and I said, “there is no room for error” in our driving. We also said this is not the place to teach a teenager to drive nor a road to travel when it is dark or after one has had several drinks. We found the travel up and down the hillside from our rental to Church or to eat or to go sightseeing unsettling.

It reminds me of the journey we all are on with our lives. We know the true road we must travel to reach our heavenly destination. We know we need to keep our eyes on this pathway and not veer off by sinful distractions that lead us away from our loving Lord. If we lose sight of our destination, we may not be able to recover before the time we meet our loving Lord at the end of our lives.  So, my advice to all of us is to please keep your eye on the road and travel safely. May God give each of us this grace. 

By Deacon Tom Gryzbek