Friday, January 04, 2008

the arts of pilgrimage & life

-Having my first "conversation" with PCUSA mission service folks. There's something about saying my call out loud to someone who can help me get there that makes it real.

-Right before going to bed, I absently picked up the book that's been on my bedside table for months (The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau), which I hadn't yet read. I was instantly pulled into it, and one paragraph in particular spoke volumes to me:


"Centuries of travel lore suggest that when we no longer know where to turn, our real journey has just begun. At that crossroads moment, a voice calls to our pilgrim soul. The time has come to set out for the sacred ground--the mountain, the temple, the ancestral home--that will stir out heart and restore our sense of wonder. It is down the path to the deeply real where time stops and we are seized by the mysteries. This is the journey we cannot not take.
On that long and winding road, it is easy to lose the way. Listen. The old hermit along the side of the road whispers, Stranger, pass by that which you do not love."

-Today's my birthday. :) I've already received several email well-wishes and I'm looking foward to a great day.

1 comment:

Just thinkin' said...

Well, it's pretty late in the day, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you've had a great day!