4 years is a long interruption...

It's been nearly 10 years ago that I spent the summer in the Tetons.  I was fortunate enough to serve as a Chaplain there in the summer of 2005.  I find myself missing those wonderful mountains and all the special places I would go in the Park...places that called to me when I wanted time alone or time with God...time to ponder the beauties of this world and time to seek answers.

Here I am 9 years later, still pondering and seeking, longing for the grandeur of the mountains, the serenity of the lakes, and mostly for the peace and solitude that comes with wide open spaces.

Recently, a friend suggested that I am really a soul who belongs in the West.  I think she's right. Places like Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Oregon and even the red rocks of Arizona and Utah seem to call to me.  So this week, I find myself wondering about where I really belong in the grand scheme of things.  Where...on so many levels.

One thing's for sure.  I'm a lousy blogger.  This is my first post since 2010.  In that time, I've learned that pilgrimages can be 2,000 miles away in the Tetons, 6,400 miles away in Israel, or 64 feet away in my own backyard.  Pilgrimages are more a state of mind than a location.   For that, I am grateful, because it means I can make pilgrimages often.  I hope to make more pilgrimages to distant places where I can learn and experience new things.  But I also hope to relish the chance -- each day -- to go on a pilgrimage of learning more, growing more and loving more.  And I surely hope to take some folks along on these journeys. 

Interrupted Journeys

Life has a way of tossing an alternate route along our journeys on days we least expect it.  Yesterday was just such a day.

I was headed home to lunch when a car flying at warp speed crashed into me, broadsiding me and spinning me violently around, crashing into me again.  Fortunately, I am banged up but otherwise pretty much okay.  I have lots of bruises and aches, but I also feel like God and the angels were protecting me.  The car is totaled and the car payment is due today (of course -- that's a rule, isn't it?).  Still, I am happily alive and can feel the aches and pains, which beats the alternative!

Today's journey, then, is just to rest, ponder, meditate, and get well.  I know there is a lesson or two to be had, and I will surely find it today.  Shalom for now.

People often talk about their bucket lists.  I have one of sorts.  It's chiefly in my mind.  One of the things I've always wanted to see is the Mediterranean Sea -- the Med, I call it to myself. 

On the flight from Atlanta to Tel Aviv, we crossed over the Med.  Looking out the window of the plane, I could see the Med and the islands of Greece, including Mykonos, all of which are also on my mental bucket list.

The day after we arrived in Tiberias, Israel, on the bankis of the Sea of Galilee, we headed to Caesarea on the Med.  It lived up to my every expectation.

This is the old city of Caesarea by the sea.  The sparkling blue waters of the Med surround these ancient Roman ruins.

To the right of the photo is the Hippodome, where chariot races and horse races took place.  In the far left background is the former palace.  This was such a lovely spot that it was hard to imagine how many people and animals might have been sacrificed here in the name of Rome.

After walking around the site for quite a while and learning more about the history of the place, we got to go up the road a short distance to Pontius Pilate's Aqueduct, an engineering marvel in its own way.  Transporting potable water to this city was hard work and the aqueduct made it easier.  At that site, I finally got to dip my toes in the Med.  We waded in the crystal clear, and very cool, waters for a while.  It was perfect.

What a spectacular start to my pilgrimage to the Holy Lands of Israel!  Getting to see the Med, wade in it, and enjoy the beautiful sights and colors, while also visiting ancient biblical sites.  Wow! 

The air smelled better, the water was clearer, and the atmosphere was perfect.  Even the journey to get there from Tiberias was a good journey, through fields of ripening vegetables, by trees sporting almonds and olives, bananas and oranges.  And all the while, seeing people working in the fields, herding sheep or cows, and living off the land.  And this was only the first half of the first day.  My pilgrimage had only begun and already I was content, inspired and expectant.

Beginnings

Having just returned from a trip -- make that a pilgrimage -- to Israel's Holy Land sites, I am convinced that all of life is a pilgrimage of one sort or the other. I plan to share some of those life-pilgrimage experiences here, starting with the trip to Israel, and then jumping around a bit. The order of things doesn't matter; it's what I've learned from them that does.

I hope that I'm not the only one still learning from life's pilgrimages and that others might enjoy some of these thoughts as well. Stay tuned!