Arcadia Beach

Last week I went on a three-day vacation to Arcadia, Michigan, a small town between Manistee and Frankfort on the Lake Michigan coast. My wife and I met up with friends; we explored some of our favorite spots in this part of the state: Empire, Glen Arbor, Esch Road Beach. For me, the quintessential summertime Michigan beach activity is to have ice cream on the beach as the sun sets over the lake. I accomplished this goal on my first night. And strolling along the path at Arcadia Beach, at sunset with my waffle cone, I noticed a series of small hand-painted signs on the fence (courtesy of Camp Arcadia). The one that caught my eye had this quotation:

“We are all just walking each other home.”

-Ram Dass

The work of Ram Dass has had a special meaning for me ever since my mother gave me my first mediation book—by this author—when I was in college. And since last year this quotation has a deep meaning for me because it was featured at my father’s funeral. My step-mother said that at some point during my father’s long illness she realized that this is what she was doing: walking him home. Indeed she accompanied him all the way on his journey through illness to death. At the memorial service she and I, along with a few other voices, sang a musical arrangement of these words.

This thought is elegant in its simplicity and poignancy. Life is about connections. Life is about exploring, adventuring—and finding a place to be grounded and at peace. There are moments when the journey is solitary, but a core part of human life is companionship. We give one another strength and hope and guidance. We walk one another home.

Home can mean many things. After a summer of vacation, travel, and reflection, I am back home in Mount Pleasant. I return to the “home” of this congregation I serve, beginning my eighth year as a minister. Those of us who find a sense of grounding and belonging in this congregation walk with each other metaphorically. We help one another to find safety and rest, a place to know who we are and to feel at home. May it be so.

PRAYER:

May the spirit of my father be at home in the sunset, in the waves, in the ice cream and in those who gather at the beach for beauty and peace.

May each of us know what it means both to walk someone else home—offering companionship and unconditional love—and to be walked home ourselves.

Blessed be the beaches and shores of this beautiful land. Blessed be this congregation with its welcoming spirit.

Amen.

Rev. Drew Frantz

August 11, 2026