81 - The Measure of Progress
As the year reaches its midpoint, we pause to celebrate one of the Temple's most cherished holy days: The Midway. It is a moment of gratitude, fellowship, and honest reflection. We gather with friends and family beneath the open sky, sharing food, conversation, and laughter, giving thanks not only for the months that have passed, but also for those still before us.
The Midway reminds us of a simple truth: we are not the same people we were when the year began.
Whether our progress has been swift or slow, whether our plans have unfolded exactly as expected or have been redirected by circumstances beyond our control, we have changed. Every challenge endured, every lesson learned, every success celebrated and every disappointment overcome has quietly shaped the people we are becoming.
This is the spirit of the Fourth Keystone: Endeavor to learn new things and be educated by others.
Learning is often imagined as something confined to books or classrooms, but the Paraclete teaches us that education is far broader than that. Every conversation has the potential to broaden our understanding. Every mistake offers instruction. Every friendship reveals a different way of seeing the world. Every season of life presents questions that only experience can answer.
The Midway therefore invites each of us to ask a simple question: Who am I becoming?
Not who did I hope to become in January, nor who do I wish others believed me to be, but who is slowly emerging through my daily choices? Have I become more patient? More competent? More generous with my time? More willing to admit when I am wrong? More steadfast in pursuing my calling?
These questions are not asked so that we might judge ourselves harshly. They are asked because course corrections are easiest when made before the journey is complete. A captain does not wait until reaching the far shore before adjusting the helm. Likewise, the wise person reflects often, making incremental adjustments while there is still ample time to benefit from them, enough time to right the ship.
This is why we celebrate The Midway not in solitude, but together.
The Fourth Keystone reminds us not only to learn new things, but to be educated by others. The people gathered around us are among our greatest teachers. Every family member, every lifelong friend, every new acquaintance has walked a road we have not. They possess skills we lack, perspectives we have never considered, and stories capable of reshaping our own understanding.
When we gather beneath the summer sky, let us do more than exchange pleasantries. Ask meaningful questions. Share what you have discovered this year. Speak honestly about your triumphs and your failures. Teach something that has brought you joy. Listen carefully when others do the same. In doing so, The Midway becomes more than a celebration—it becomes a living classroom, where wisdom is freely exchanged among those who care for one another.
The year is only half written. There remains ample time to begin a new habit, acquire a new skill, strengthen a friendship, repair a strained relationship, or answer a calling that has waited patiently for your attention.
As the warmth of summer surrounds us and the company of loved ones renews our spirits, let us celebrate not merely how far we have come, but how far we may yet travel. For the person you will become at year's end is being formed today, one lesson, one conversation, and one faithful step at a time. This is The Way.
