The Awakened Traveler

I believe in every lifetime we go through a growth period and then must rest a season, where very little progress is made, just some immense thinking. Perhaps that's where the entire country is right now, with the economic crisis. God sometimes does a shearing of our lives, allowing us to go deep into the core of our beings and so we can begin to pull out those things that resonate with our truth. It can also be a test of faith. But flowers never doubt they will bloom once again. A story by John Steinbeck entitled  The Chrysanthemums is  one of Steinbeck's greatest works and has a wonderfully deep spiritual message.   Chrysanthemums are cut back during the growing season, which enables them to grow stronger in the fall. Chrysanthemums bloom in the fall, and for best results are cut back during the growing season to grow fuller instead of taller. I n the Steinbeck short story, the character of the protagonist, Elisa Allen, was a bright and energetic woman who