seeking: as good as seeing

Antigua, Guatemala

Guatemala

I’m sorry for the radio silence.  

Tons going on, all of it packed with much to process, emotionally, spiritually—and you know how long it takes me to do that!

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  

~Philippians 4:6-7

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“You do well to devote yourself vigorously and, as it were, uniquely to the excellent practice of a complete self-abandonment to the will of God. Therein lies for you the whole of perfection; it is the easiest road and leads soonest and most surely to a deep and unalterable peace; it is also a sure guarantee of the preservation of that peace in the depth of our soul through the most furious tempests. The soul that truly abandons itself to God has nothing to fear from the most violent storms. Far from doing it any hurt, they will infallibly serve not only to increase its merits, but also to establish it more and more firmly in that union of its own will with the divine will which renders the tranquility of the soul invariable.” 

~Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ 

(as quoted in Magnificat, July 2, 2013)

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“Frequently I think about how important it is to know how to experience moments of pain, suffering, rejection, loneliness, failure, disappointment, and betrayal. These moments are all part of human life because they are part of human reality… We must develop our capacity to suffer and simultaneously, to offer up this pain. To do this, it is necessary to tell God, to cry out to God, about our suffering, kneeling with our eyes fixed on the crucifix. We must develop this mentality, this way of confronting life, so that when we encounter the cross, we do not trivialize, diminish, or strip away the value of this precious moment in which Jesus allows us to share the pain of His cross, by giving us a splinter. Pain is part of human life. We must nut run away from it, cheapen it by venting about it to others superficially!” 

~Mother Elvira Petrozzi (as quoted in Magnificat, July 1 2013)

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“Seeking is as good as seeing during the time God lets the soul labour” 

~Julian of Norwich

Guatemala

my wild flower garden

the brave Joan of Arc

As I mentioned yesterday, my posts will be a little different since I will be traveling for the next two weeks. Michael and I arrived today for what I’m calling a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage of the French countryside with my wonderful in-laws, Tony and MarySue. They are introducing us to some of their favorite places in the world!

I’ve mentioned before what a slow (and thorough) processor I am when it comes life experiences. Paraphrasing one of my favorite authors, Heather King, I need three or four days of contemplation for every one day of lived experience. At least I know that I’m in good company.

All that is to say that what I'd like to do is give you a visual glimpse of what I get to see and discover every day:

in the courtyard of our hotel in Compiegne

the view from our bedroom window

entrance to St. James church -- which sits on one of the French routes to the Camino de Santiago!

I learned today that this is the church from where Joan of Arc was arrested, taken away.

holy water font in the shape of a conch shell, 

symbol of baptism and of the Camino de Santiago

memorial on side of the church naming the people from the village of Compiegne who died in WWI and WWII. you can see the different shades of gray for each war.