Post 10 – June 10, 2016, The Storm Before the Calm

  I feel the Storm Before the Calm: The buffeting of the winds, the slamming of the gusts, getting hit by unknown objects and unwanted intrusions while at the same time knowing that we can expect calm soon, and peace. This is roughly the opposite of the cliché we all know, the Calm Before the Storm: A quiet or peaceful period immediately before a period of great activity or trouble.

  This is a joint post by me, Harold Rosenberg, and Tom Gehring. We’re sitting here at the 18th Street Coffee House in Santa Monica, talking to our barista friends, Erica and Brandon, and lamenting how long our to-do list is, feeling anxious, and hoping that eventually enough coffee will inspire us to go forward, and finish all the things we need to finish before embarking on this great journey along the Camino del Norte. The Northern Way. The road less traveled.

  Tom tells us that the Camino will be peaceful, calm, doable. The Camino seems to be self-selecting. Meaning, those that we can expect to meet on the path went there for a reason, they are adventurers, they are working on something in their life that they want to make better, they are looking for answers, maybe searching for God, maybe searching for themselves, and maybe just ready to find . . . joy. The path is self-selecting. Those that are on it are supposed to be on it. We can expect to meet many great people. The best people possible. Those that look for all that is most important in life. Expect to be changed. Expect to find the peace and calm that is beyond all understanding.

  Strange. As I’m sitting here I just received a text from a colleague at my law firm: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7.
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