One morning when I walked in my neighborhood, I made a serendipitous discovery; a Little Free Library had just been installed. Inside the birdhouse for books, I spotted a title that caught my eye—The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Months later when our Edinburgh-bound train passed Berwick-upon-Tweed, I remembered how it had been the right … Continue reading On Pilgrimage with Harold Fry
#leavetoxicbehind
Fog Gets in Your Eyes
Enjoy the View That’s what the sign said that was just a few feet from the overlook of Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes. But the area was a total whiteout, wrapped in dense fog, hiding my view of the broad expanse of dunes and water. I could hear the faint sound of distant waves … Continue reading Fog Gets in Your Eyes
Sinners and Saints
Pilgrims have traveled to Iona, Scotland for centuries to the Abbey founded by Saint Columba. But before he was seen as a saint, he was recognized as a sinner for leading his Irish clan in a battle where three thousand died. He is every man and every woman; all of us with our shadow side … Continue reading Sinners and Saints
Flow of Life
It’s been sixteen years since I was told that day would be my last at The Research Company. Devastated, angry, and relieved to be free of them, I stepped forward onto an uncertain path. I was surprised my course returned me to school nursing. When I retired from that position last March, I had no … Continue reading Flow of Life
Then Sings My Soul
I lost myself in our conversation, feeling it was more important to be present in that moment than to be on time for the service. When I finally pushed open the Iona chapel door, I heard the piano playing, the congregants singing a song that was familiar from another place. Tears splashed my eyes as … Continue reading Then Sings My Soul
Some of Our People
The last time I took Mama to see her brother, we passed a car pulled over by a state trooper, blue lights flashing. Mama focused on the loaded down Honda with the officer talking to the driver. “I hope that’s none of our people in that kind of trouble,” she said. Our people could have … Continue reading Some of Our People
Chicken Man of Chincoteague
I wanted a picture of the sign by the road, my final snapshot from my journey to Chincoteague Island, Virginia. It would be a gift for my chicken-loving-friend in Baltimore. Pulling out my camera, a man came over to me. "Mind if I take a picture of your sign?" "It'll cost you some silver," he … Continue reading Chicken Man of Chincoteague
Connie Rosser Riddle 