I identified the tracks as those of a deer. My skis left their own parallel lines as my route crossed where the deer had gone. Since the snow was new, I knew that the deer’s passing was recent. So I was tempted to give chase. Then I decided to just enjoy the intersection of our pathways.

            Although there was the temptation to investigate the deer’s journey, my focus went elsewhere. I thought about the many times my path crosses those of others. Like deer, many persons are heading this way or that, perhaps at cross-purposes to my plans. For a few seconds, however, I can claim the land that had previously belonged to someone else.

            It would be interesting if snow were not the only medium in which we could see where others have passed. What if all our journeys, long or short, left tracks that intersected with those of friends or strangers? We certainly would be reminded how many times we travel where others have trod.

            Special people truly do leave tracks in our lives. Their presence has etched itself into our hearts as we have come to know them well. Thank God for those whose paths have become part of our own journeys.

“…he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.”

Luke 5:27-28