Travel

My favourite quote on travel is from Bess Steeter Aldrich's A Lantern in Her Hand:

Abbie Deal (the central character) responds to her daughter’s comment that she has lived a narrow life as a pioneer who settled in the same town from her early twenties. “You know Grace, it’s queer, but I don’t feel narrow. I feel broad . . . I’ve married . . . and borne children and looked into the face of death. Is childbirth narrow, Grace? Or marriage? Or death? When you’ve experienced all those things, Grace, the spirit has travelled although the body has been confined. I think travel is a rare privilege and I’m glad you can have it. But not everyone who stays home is narrow and not everyone who travels is broad.” Abbie also speaks of how she has enjoyed nature, seen history in the making, and war.

This is an unusual favourite travel quote for a person like me, who is fascinated by the world and would love to see more of it. I loved visiting the USA in 2003. It has sparked in me a great love of the history of the country. It would be wonderful to go again. Here are a few of the places I can think of that I'd like to visit:

Shaker Villiage in Kentucky

Biltmore Estate in North Carolina

And far too many places in Virginia, including these:

Montichello

Shenandoah National Park

The wonderful, the marvelous Colonial Williamsburg which I visited last time and fell in love with

Patrick Henry's grave at Red Hill

I also have a hankering to visit Africa . . . and wouldn't Europe be nice?

However, I believe the quote I have written out above keeps all these desires in perspective. Ultimately, whether or not I travel is unimportant. Many people have lived their whole lives in one village, and their lives were good and broad in the sight of God. There are far more important things to do in life than travel. It is not like moving around the planet somehow translates wisdom into the heart.

Travel is a blessing, and I have learnt a lot from it. However, I never want to place it above more important things. A Lantern in Her Hand is a beautiful book, because it shows clearly what those more important things are. Abbie Deal was deprived of many things in order to serve her husband and children. She earnestly desired that her children would have what she did not have. Yet as they pursued art, music, literature, education, and travel, some of them left out more important things. One chose not to marry solely so she could concentrate on her career as a teacher. Another chose to have no children so she could fulfill all her musical talent. The book portrays Abbie's sadness and wonderment at such choices.

Relationships are the essence of life. Travel will leave photos, memories, and perhaps some distant friends. Music will play and bring pleasure, and then be gone forever. All the literature in the world will someday be burned. Yet people are eternal beings. It is as we enter into their lives and choose to serve them that we grow truly broad and deep in spirit.