Usually, beginnings are thought of as filled with hope and promise. And this may be true. But it is also true that at the beginning of any project, quest, or trip is the lack of its fulfillment. All beginnings are a paradox. They are empty spaces waiting to be filled.

We are never so deprived as at the beginning of any quest, and from deprivation comes spiritual wealth and spiritual power.

We have been walking in a direction that got us to where we are, wherever that is on the illness-wellness continuum, for a while. Turning around and walking in a new direction, one that course corrects us toward wellness will take time and is well worth the effort.