For several days I've been waiting my way through whatever's going around and laying folks low. Haven't got to my blogging chair as much as I'd like.
But late today I came across these words from Macrina Wiederkehr in her book, Seasons of Your Heart. I share them here because I know that for some of you the joy of Easter is still struggling to rise. This is from a short chapter titled, "Tourists or Pilgrims?"
I stand on the edge of myself and wonder,
Where is home?
Oh, where is the place
where beauty will last?
When will I be safe?
And where?
My tourist heart is wearing me out
I am so tired of seeking
for treasures that tarnish.
How much longer, Lord?
Oh, which way is home?
My luggage is heavy
It is weighing me down.
I am hungry for the holy ground of home.
Then suddenly, overpowering me
with the truth, a voice within me
gentles me, and says:
There is a power in you, a truth in you
that has not yet been tapped.
You are blinded
with a blindness that is deep
for you've not loved the pilgrim in you yet.
There is a road
that runs straight through your heart.
Walk on it.
To be a pilgrim means
to be on the move, slowly
to notice your luggage becoming lighter
to be seeking for treasures that do not rust
to be comfortable with your heart's questions
to be moving toward the holy ground of home
with empty hands and bare feet.
And yet, you cannot reach that home
until you've loved the pilgrim in you
One must be comfortable
with pilgrimhood
before one's feet can touch the homeland.
Do you want to go home?
There's a road that runs
straight through your heart.
Walk on it.
Do you want to go home?
ReplyDeleteThat's the key, isn't it? God is preparing the meal for us, in His house with many rooms. But we have to want to be with him... or we never get there! It seems so obvious. We have to make the choice.
This poem seems to be speaking directly to me. It's tough walking that road, and even tougher finding the way home throughout lifes difficulties. But each day, I feel a little closer to reaching the comfort that will bring me to a place of peace. Preparing me to go home.
ReplyDeleteThis one I really liked.
I hope that you will soon feel much better, Concord Pastor. I googled "hot toddy," (my mother's old fashioned remedy for a cold or flu) and found a recipe that sounded delicious (1-1/2 oz. whiskey, 1 oz. honey, 1/3 oz. lemon juice and 3 oz. hot water.) The person who submitted the recipe said it had done wonders for his cold. So you might want to try it if you haven't already!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the heading of this post I thought "Oh no!". The forum I read, about the Camino I am soon starting, sometimes has discussions about what a 'proper' pilgrim is, as opposed to a 'tourist'. The 'pigeonholing' and judgements made in such discussions. I mostly find very annoying.
ReplyDeleteBut I was to be pleasantly surprised when I read this writing by Macrina. She says a lot of things that help me ponder. "to be comfortable with your heart's questions" - that is something I hope to experience as I walk.