The End

Friends,

“Walk.

You were born for the road.

Walk on.

You have someone to meet.

You do not know as yet.

Perhaps it is your own self.

Walk on,

Your footsteps will be your words.

The path ahead will be your song.

Your exhaustion will be your prayer

And the silence at last will speak to you.

Walk on,

Alone or in group,

But go out from your house.

The others you thought of as rivals will be your companions.

The ones you saw as enemies will be your brothers and sisters.

Walk on

Although you do not know

Where your feet are taking your heart.

Walk on.

You were born for the road,

The pilgrim road.

Someone else is walking towards you,

Someone who is looking for you

So that you can find Him,

In the sanctuary at the end of the road,

In the shrine of your heart.

He is your Peace.

He is your Joy.

Go.

Already God walks with you.”

The above is from the Prayer Room in Zurich Airport. I had Him for company throughout the journey and He guided me every moment during it as He has in my life. It is His intervention that took me closer to those who I knew previously and brought me close to the new friends I made during the past 124 days. He gave me good health and adequate wealth to complete the journey. I thank Him for the wonderful experience.

Before I began it I had dedicated the journey to my parents. All along the way I experienced their warm presence and blessings. My brother and his family are very dear to me. Their constant care and concern lifted my spirits and kept me in touch with ‘home’. A host of relatives provided the comfort of prayers and encouragement. 

During the journey I never felt alone, even for a moment. This was only due to the rich interface with friends, old and new. A special thanks to my railway brethren and Service colleagues, who went extra miles to ensure that I felt at home in new environments. Some of those who helped me are still only voices I recognize. Whenever I asked for assistance it was forthcoming and never once was it refused. I salute every one of them. Those who followed my blog posts were the real cheerleaders.

A Dream has been realized and I am sad, in a way, that the journey has ended. But, life’s journey goes on. And there are other dreams to travel for and more to dream. I end with another gem from Lin Yu-Tang, “A good traveler is one who does not know where he is going to, and a perfect traveler does not know where he came from.”