Why, you ask, whould I title my blog with a phrase used to introduce an incidental remark?
There's the obvious answer - that much of what I write will indeed be incidental and perhaps meaningful only to a few. I certainly don't expect that this avenue of expression will be some magnum opus; rather, I intend this blog to be a collection of thoughts, notes, humor, spiritual ponderings, and perhaps a few insightful writings that focus more on personal exploration than contributing in a meaningful way to the body of human knowledge.
But the real meaning behind this blog is that life is a journey. There's no attempt at metaphor or analogy here; rather, a statement of fact. In the most basic sense, life is a voyage that spans the endpoints of birth and death. In reality, though, our sojurn here is just that - transitory and fleeting, and we are wanderers seeking the path that leads back to our Father.
This, then, is the reason behind the title: that I envision this forum of self discovery as analagous to a stop by the wayside along the pathway of mortality; a brief pause to record something personally meaningful, to explore events that transpire along the way and to assess possible directional adjustments to maintain the proper course.
And so, I invite you, if you're interested, to come and sit with me by the wayside for just a moment or two. Whether you share my thoughts or become lost in your own, I'm of the opinion that such times of quiet contemplation serve to strengthen our link to the divine within and help us to be more receptive to that still, small voice that serves as guide along the way.