About the Work
Every day you embark on a new leg of the journey. Where you will be taken in the next few days, weeks, and years is truly a mystery. All you can do is walk, walk, wend your way around each curve, doing whatever your hand finds to do and making your individual mark upon the world. The road is ancient, beaten down by the soles of many pilgrims, but your steps are new and full of hope. You are a creator, blessed with countless opportunities that call for your unique gifts, and you will respond with a symphony of your own making: a fresh song or story, a painting in your own shades of kindness and grace. And you will be led where those gifts are needed most in the world. That place is your vocation, your calling, your canvas. Hear the King call to you in the Song of Songs: “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” The winter is past, the rains are over and gone, flowers appear on the earth, the season of singing has come.
“The Road from Here” was premiered by Therees Hibbard and the St. Olaf Manitou Singers.
Text
The road from here is a mystery;
We cannot see ‘round the curve.
But we walk, we walk, we wend our way,
And make our mark upon the world.
The road is worn, but we walk this morn
with new steps in the grass and the breeze.
With the breath of God—inspiration and love—
We give birth to a symphony.
My lover spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
and come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come.”
The road draws us deep into the world’s need:
It is there that we will serve,
Giving all for the One who in his deep love
Gave his all for all people on earth.
The road from here is a mystery;
We cannot see ‘round the curve.
But chosen by Christ, his beauty, his bride,
We make our mark upon the world.
“My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
© 2015 Laurie F. Gauger
About the Writer
Originally from Germantown, Wisconsin, Laurie F. Gauger is a full-time writer and editor and the creator of a diverse catalogue of hymns, poems, and inspirational articles. She has held positions as a publishing house religious curriculum editor, a high school English and music teacher, and a college campus writer and editor. In addition to this work, she also contributes to a monthly parenting column and speaks at women’s retreats. Musical settings of her works are available on her website, Verses for the King, at lauriegauger.com. She lives with her husband in Glenwood, Minnesota.
