The Journey Continues

“Maps help us to get where we need to be; they help us from getting lost; they keep us moving forward and in the right direction; and they often take us to far-off places we can’t otherwise get to on our own. Some maps are even filled with mystery and intrigue, like a pirates map leading one to buried treasure”

Kevin and Susan Neary, Maps of the Disney Parks

 Here at UCH it’s about the journey, but it sure would be nice we had a handy detailed map, or perhaps a GPS device that would only require us to type in our destination. My interest in maps began back in Boy Scouting days when one of the requirements for advancement was to create a map using all the correct symbols that could be easily followed, or I may have picked it up from my dad who was a map user and collector. Growing up we had a rack of gasoline companies’ complementary maps of the western states and major cities and we subscribed to National Geographic Magazine where I always looked forward to issues that contained folded removable maps of unfamiliar or sometimes familiar lands or planets. I still have a full bookshelf devoted to maps and Atlases that have accumulated through the years. A “must have” on early trips to Knott’s Berry Farm and to Disneyland were the illustrative park maps that have now become highly sought after collectibles. Sandy and I have a reproduction of a comical map hanging in our home drawn by Jo Mora in 1931 showing all types of various characters and animals in silly antics scampering around Yosemite Valley.

Humankind created maps as far back as the dawn of recorded time with the earliest maps of the heavens drawn on the walls of caves in France. Ancient texts from Babylonia, China and Greece all included maps while early explorers to the new world relied on maps of the world as they knew it. We use maps everyday checking the weather either on TV news, newspapers or on-line. In today’s world most printed directional maps have been replaced by global positioning navigation systems. We no longer need to consult a map to plan a trip but rather just type in our destination on our GPS and blindly follow the spoken directions. Unfortunately this takes much of the adventure and sense of place out of travel and my preference continues to be an old fashion printed map when seeking a location or directions in new and unfamiliar territory. 

This fall Rev. Jeanne will lead us in seeking our vision and how we can best use our resources to spread the good news out of our doors and into the world. Maps have changed the world, helped explorers find new lands, won and lost wars, and have charted the heavens. Perhaps we will create a map that will help us better understand our journey   -Bill