Mile 0

In my hometown there is a road that begins at the center of town with a sign: "Mile 0".  When I first saw this sign as a child, I thought it strange--I didn't understand its purpose. My mother laughed at my confusion and explained that it indicates the start of a road.  For some reason this image has always stuck with me.  Mile 0.
As I have gotten older, I have encountered my fair share of Mile 0's--starts of new roads in my life.  I have found myself on some amazing adventures, in places I never imagined I'd be, with people I who have truly changed my life.  Each of these new roads start at the same situation: me putting my own intentions aside, and simply saying "Yes" to what God has shown to be His path for me.  I used to put up much more of a fight, and found myself on some darker, more difficult paths, but always ended up back to where He intended me to be.  I have learned to pay more attention to that still, soft voice indicating a new path--and to the blatant road signs signaling me to take notice.

All that being said, this is how I found myself at L'Hermitage--yet another step on my journey as a Marist--following in the footsteps of Champagnat at HIS Mile 0. If you had asked me even this morning why exactly I came on this trip, I wouldn't have been able to tell you.  All I knew was that God had placed signs in my life that all pointed to taking this trip--and I listened.  But, this afternoon, sitting around Champagnat's table at the house in La Valla, listening to Brother Pat talk about our call to serve through the education of the young--especially those most in need--I was reminded of what drew me to the Marist philosophy behind education, and into my role at Marist Bayonne. It was that spiritual component I had been missing in the public education setting that set me free to join my passion for counseling adolescents and my call as a Christian to make Jesus known and loved.  

A lot of changes are happening at Marist Bayonne this year, and I had started to lose sight of what it was that drew me there in the first place.  Watching each of the Brothers on this trip--teaching, serving, sharing their knowledge--has truly reminded me of why it is that I can call myself Marist.  The qualities and values we share draw us together as a family, and pull us forward down the road Marcellin started on all those years ago.

At our evening prayer, we opened with a quote from Gathered Around the Same Table:
                       Like all vocations, the Marist life emerges from a process of discovery: we
                       have been enchanted by Marcellin's Christian journey and that of the community of                                        those who live his charism, and we understand that God sends us to be part of this family.

This quote fully summarized God's intention for me on this trip--that I be reminded that I have been called by Him to be a part of this family.  That He is using me for His will through counseling--my unique gift.  It was the sign indicating that I am still going the right direction, and to stay on this path.

I challenge you to consider what path God might have you on at this time, and to take a quiet moment to reflect on some of the signs in your life that got you where you are today.  Are you on the right path? Or is God starting you on a new path?