Adventures in Espana

Wow. Spain was awesome. I had a wee bit of anxiety heading over because aside from the menu at Mexican restaurants, my command of the Spanish language is NADA.  However, it turns out hand signals are universal, and when words were absolutely necessary, it worked out fine.  Plus, everyone I met was so crazy nice it was almost suspicious!

There were some amazing high points... Being at my first Pilgrim's Mass where they swing that huge censor and the Cathedral fills with incense and my eyes filled with tears, sitting on the point of the Playa da Morte in Finisterre and contemplating the enormity and smallness of the world, sobbing in front of the Goya Black Paintings at the Prado because you just HAVE to when you see them, seeing my friend Melinda in the Cathedral and sobbing again with this mutual BIGNESS OF GOD we both had experienced, seeing my beloved Hope and Rob in Madrid and doing some more crying.

I'm beginning to wonder why I fell in love with a place where I cried so much!!

Sometimes, you have to give yourself some space and time to allow yourself to be moved.

One time I went to the Art Institute in Chicago and had a whole afternoon to myself.  I love the Chagall window and decided I was going to sit and just LOOK at it until I did not see one more new thing.  This meditation lasted three hours.

It takes time to see, like to have a friend takes time.  Georgia O'Keffe said that so don't go thinking I've gotten profound on you.

I had two weeks to just SEE and be with God.  This kind of peace gives you a clarity you won't see unless you take that time.  And two weeks doesn't completely unwind anyone.

I had a chat with a priest while I was there in Santiago.  After he consulted with God, he shared that God really just wants me to be at peace, that God just wants to BE with me, and that does not require any sort of special trip. There will be other challenges, and God will be with me through them. I am his beloved daughter, and He just wants me to be at peace in Him.

I have no doubt in my mind that God did speak directly to him to tell me that. I also know that that simply requires me keeping space open in my life to just rest in His peace... No schedule, agenda, or thing to be accomplished. Just Be.

It is a rare treat to have two weeks of relatively unstructured time. Even being back a few days I'm struggling a bit to make the time.  It isn't that my schedule is so full, being home sick and all.  It is the number of distractions and things to get done, etc.. That's normal life.

But I do have the clarity and peace I was missing for a while, and that is an excellent foundation from which to grow in His love.