By: Joseph J. Mazzella
It was the summer of my 16th year. I was 2,000 miles away from home and my heart was aching. I had traveled from the mountains of West Virginia to the great plains of Iowa. I was with a group of boys touring a Seminary college. When the trip had first started I was filled with excitement. It was going to be a week of adventure, a week of travel, and the possibility of starting on a new path in my life. Now 5 days later I was filled with sadness. I missed my Mom.
I missed my Dad. I missed my old, Italian Nana. I missed the mountains, the green trees, and the smell of the wild flowers in the summertime. Here there was only brown and gray plains. And all I could smell in the air was a mixture of corn, mud, and hogs. I didn’t think I could feel any more homesick.
I walked outside and sat down on a bench. I knew that I was at a crossroads and that the decision I was about to make would affect the rest of my life. This seminary school had sounded so good to me a few weeks ago. Now, however, I knew that I could never go to college here. I couldn’t be so far away from my family for so long. I sighed a long sigh and looked up at the setting sun. The prairie sunset was spectacular. It filled the entire horizon and I felt its beauty and peace washing over me. I knew too that I was making the right choice and that God was guiding me. Like Robert Frost’s poem I was taking the road less traveled and that was fine with me.
Since that day I have been at many crossroads in my life. Sometimes I have made the wrong choice and had to backtrack to make things right. More often than not, though, I have felt divinely inspired and made the choices that took me where I needed to go and helped me to become who I needed to be. Through it all I have felt my trust in God grow deeper and the love in my soul grow stronger. And that more than anything has kept me on the right road.
Life is a long and difficult journey but we all can take comfort in knowing that we are loved and watched over every step of the way. The next time you are at a Crossroads then keep your eyes looking to Heaven and your heart open to God. Let Love guide your steps and you will always take the road meant for you.