A New She, A New He

A New She, A New He
By Marilyn Mackenzie



They walked along life’s pathway, holding hands, he and she. Sometimes the road was a rocky one, and they helped each other step over the stones so they wouldn’t stumble. Sometimes the path was without obstacles.

The road was often steep, and they assisted one another along or stopped to rest along the way to catch their breath. The downward path was often easy to travel; they flew down the path at those times, effortlessly, as if on angel’s wings.

When there was a fork in the road, they chose the pathway together, never looking back at what might have been. The road of life was not too difficult, if they traveled it together.

If rains spoiled their daily walk, this couple found shelter together. And they rejoiced at God’s gift of each rainbow at the end of the rain. Clouds never bothered them, for the sun would once again shine. They learned to love the changing seasons of nature and of their lives.

Then she was alone traveling life’s pathway. When she came to a fork, a decision, she took the familiar road, never attempting to forge a new path by herself.

She lost the bounce in her step, missed her traveling companion. Instead of noticing the green grasses or blooming flowers, she just continued traveling the road ahead of her. Her eyes watched the road at her feet. She never raised her head to see the pathway at the horizon’s edge. What did it matter if that pathway was full of new life and wonder if she must travel it always alone?

One day, as she watched her own feet clomp-clomping down the familiar path, she realized another pair of feet walked at her side. She looked up and saw a man whose eyes also just watched the road.

When their eyes finally met, she saw her own pain mirrored in his eyes. He had also lost his life’s travel companion; he now traveled life alone. He once had someone with whom he could laugh, someone who caught him when he stumbled. But no more.

Their daily walk became a habit, their friendship developed. Soon they consulted each other when a fork in the road appeared. They tried new pathways, becoming used to having another on which to lean. They dared and risked seeing and experiencing new things; no longer were they alone.

The roads took on a new look for both of them. Their heads raised, they noticed trees blossoming and flowers blooming along the sides of the road. Laughter became a way of life; enjoyment was their watchword.

One day, the rains came and they danced in the puddles, then found brief comfort in a roadside cave. As the sun peeked through the clouds once more and a rainbow appeared on the horizon, she looked at her new companion.

She realized, then, that she was a new she and he a new he, blessed in having discovered that sometimes God provides more than one excellent traveling companion.