Detour Ahead

We are driving along, minding our own business.We know exactly where we are going.We have it all mapped out.What is this?Up ahead, there is something wrong!Now what do we do? We wring our hands; we are confused.We have to take the detour because the road is blocked.This is Life.

I always did well in school.I had it planned.I would graduate and go on to college.Instead I came to a detour.I met a boy who turned my head.I, or rather we, became pregnant.We loved each other and decided to get married and provide a home for our child.For many years and another child all that came our way was the occasional but sneaky pothole or two.We would always be together; that I could count on.Unfortunately he came to the final detour of his life and mine and my children’s continued.

Years later I met a man. He had a little boy together with my two boys we merged our roads together. It wasn’t long before we added another one to the mix. The road is not without its flaws but it’s a great ride.

My detours are uniquely mine and by no means special. Everyone has a story to tell. Stories of smooth highways, gravel roads, or paths we forge ourselves. The real story lies not in the detours but how we deal with them. There are whiners who spend all their time complaining about the road they are on and miss the beauty of the ride. Blamers want the road fixed but they do not want the responsibility of fixing it; it is always someone else’s fault. There are those who deny that they have come to a detour and go on trying to pretend everything is still the same. These people are particularly sad to me. They struggle harder to stay the same than they would to change. We do not have to like the detour but it is easier to deal with if we accept it.

As long as the journey lasts there will be detours to face. We never know when and we never know how many. We can hope for the courage to accept, the strength to change and the grace to go on. Enjoy the ride.