In four days, I’m having another birthday. My husband, David is just five months older than me and once we hit sixty, several years ago, he took on a particularly disenchanted attitude about having birthdays, saying he just wanted to “forget about it.” But I came back at him with, “You should celebrate every year … Continue reading Celebrate Your Life
pilgrimage
Stepping Over the Threshold
One week from today, I’ll leave on my yearly pilgrimage. For months those days have been blocked out on my calendar with very little thought about the actual journey. Now that I’m almost one year into my retirement from school nursing, I find that my life has been filled with new activities to take the … Continue reading Stepping Over the Threshold
On Pilgrimage with Harold Fry
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
We Gather
We gather. Forty-one of us from around the world, pilgrims to Iona, Scotland. We share stories of our lives, in one-to-one conversations across the table, in our dorm rooms as we prepare for the day, in dyads during morning sessions. How interesting what has brought each person to this place-- all unique yet with the common … Continue reading We Gather
Go Fund Me
Today I take off on my trip and feel deeply grateful. I remember back to the end of March when I retired. Our school staff and my nursing colleagues honored me and later there was another party with friends. What I didn't expect was a surprise party given by my family. I was shocked and speechless-- a … Continue reading Go Fund Me
The Path of the Storm
I ran my travel errands amid the reports of Hurricane Irma approaching Florida and two other storms, Jose and Katya, also churning the waters. Watching the predictions of Irma’s path, I’m focused on Atlanta and Charleston, the two cities where my sons live, and then I watch for our area of central North Carolina. Besides … Continue reading The Path of the Storm
The Thin Veil
On a chilly day in early April, we ate lunch together on the Duke University campus. Carol, Cathy, and I were all cancer survivors and now, Relay for Life team members for the Congregation at Duke Chapel. I told them my plans to take a pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland. “The veil is thin there,” Cathy … Continue reading The Thin Veil
Dream it, Plan it, Do it
That’s it in a nutshell; the answer to the question that people ask, “How do you go about these solo journeys?” Choosing the place starts with the question, “Where should I go this year, God?” I wait to see what comes from inside—my interests, my curiosity, my need. Various external factors have impacted my choices, … Continue reading Dream it, Plan it, Do it
Places in My Path: Antietam
Yesterday’s celebrations of the Fourth of July are now vivid memories: backyard barbecues, American flags, booming fireworks exploding into a rainbow of colors followed by a smoky sulphuric smell. Underneath all the celebration we honor those who’ve earned our freedom. I was reminded of that on my solo journey to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia when … Continue reading Places in My Path: Antietam
Transported Beyond Cancer
It’s been seventeen years since I heard the words, “You have cancer.” Now the waiting room, which had always had an acrid smell of chemo drugs, doesn’t make me nauseous. Before this visit, I didn’t feel anxious like something bad was about to happen. My sleep has been good, no lying awake at 3:30 a.m. … Continue reading Transported Beyond Cancer
