May 14. 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, May 14.
There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that goes something like this - “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. The journey of Lewis & Clark covered 8000 miles, and began on May 14, 1804.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired land from the Louisiana Purchase, and to find a practical route to the west coast. Lewis & Clark left Illinois, 221 years ago today, to accomplish their mission. They spent a hard winter where North Dakota is now, and while there they met Sacagawea, the teenage mother who would become their guide and interpreter. In the spring of 1805 they crossed the Continental Divide, and on November 17 they walked into the Pacific Ocean. A long, long journey that began with one step.
John F. Kennedy, perhaps inspired by that old proverb, spoke these words at his presidential inauguration in 1961 - “All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration, not even, perhaps, in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin!”
Perhaps there is a challenging task that lies before you right now. Maybe it’s a relationship that needs repair, an old destructive habit that needs to be broken, or a new goal that needs to be set. Sometimes a task can be so challenging, so daunting, that it leaves us paralyzed and we do nothing. “One step at a time” is another old proverb, and it has stood the test of time because it’s true. Take that first step. Let us begin.
Psalm 37:23 - “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in His way.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
