Friday, August 8, 2008

Wandering on "The Road Less Traveled"


I've been leafing through M. Scott Peck's "The Road Less Traveled" for about a year now.  Usually, I pick it up too late at a night and can only get a pew paragraphs in before passing out.  Luckily, my mom lent me her copy of "Meditations from the Road."  It's a daily reader with excepts from "The Road Less Traveled" and "The Different Drum."  Typically I'll read from "Meditations" every few days, mainly as I am rocking Miles to sleep.

I want to share with you my favorite passage.  Confidentially, it is meant to be read on March 7th, which is also Miles' birthday:

"Love is not effortless.  It becomes demonstrable or real only through the fact that someone (or for ourself) we take an extra step or walk an extra mile." -RLT p.83

I've amended that ending to an extra step or walk an extra mile for Miles.  I would do anything for my son, anything to ensure his health and happiness.  But I don't think of my love for him being riddle with effort.  The energy that I expound is not done out of obligation; there is a much greater force at work than something simple as duty or expectation.  Perhaps the true effort is found in caring for myself as I do for my son.  

I like Peck's notion of real and demonstrable love.  Affection of great magnitude will always leave some observable evidence- laughter, smiles, tears, crying, heavy silences. . . they all come from the same place. Evidence that your heart is open and alive.  

1 comment:

Cynthia said...

You write: I would do anything for my son, anything to ensure his health and happiness. But I don't think of my love for him being riddle with effort.
This is the one thing that a lot of people don't understand. Love takes away the "burden" of caring for someone. Love is truly God's powerful gift to us all.