where the sidewalk ends and begins again

Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

In addition to repairing the crumbly stairs (which had to be approved by the Landmarks Commission) and replacing the uneven concrete approach to 2604 Jefferson Avenue, this week I created a new sidewalk, where there never was one before. While it only connects the front yard to where the courtyard gardens will be, I felt a little like a trailblazer–defining the path that people will walk sometime in the future.

Yes, I suppose it could have run diagonally through the yard to make the jaunt a little more efficient, but instead, the sidewalk was designed to take a little turn just for fun. Creating this new walkway made me think a little bit about how Heavenly Father makes connections. Pressing forward on my mortal journey, experience has taught me that rarely is it a straight line that gets me from here to there. Sometimes there are twists and turns, causing me to slow down and consciously consider if I am walking in the right way. Even though I can see in the distance where it is I want to go, I have to patiently follow the prescribed path. Nevertheless, I trust that He purposefully, skillfully, designed my course and although His "ways" are not my "ways", I know the truth and light of The Way will lead me back home.