In 1957 I picked up a coral-pink book whose title appeared only on its spine &, feeling important, inscribed my full name. The Odyssey of Homer opens:  "Tell of the storm-tossed man, O Muse, who wandered long after he sacked the sacred citadel of Troy."

   Mrs. Emerson put this ancient volume before our 8th grade class & we learned that Odysseus' (Ulysses in the Roman version) journey was not only "storm-tossed" but populated with one-eyed monsters, Sirens who seduced listeners to their deaths & Lotus-Eaters offering the fruit of forgetfulness. 

   At Jesus' birth, the story was 800 years old!

   Stories precede civilization. Odysseys fascinate because each mixes threats with joys. 

   Consider the monsters & angels you have encountered across your odyssey?

   Risk-oriented, my life has been storm-tossed. People have often asked: Why not take the safer route? 

   Some "life callings" force striving.  Sixty-one years after picking up Homer's book I know my journey is near ending.

   But, Tennyson put the right words into Ulysses's mouth & my heart: "Come now, friends, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world."  Time to further engage hard-won learning to craft meaning beyond the status quo. Something that enriches beauty, light & love & a sense that the journey has illuminated eternity's path.

– Erie Chapman