Little Holy Places

I took a road trip this weekend to Tubac, AZ.  It is about 25 miles north of the Mexican border, and one of the prettiest places in the world.

I was visiting a dear friend and giving my brain a break from all its incessant worrying.

The church in Tubac is tiny, fitting maybe 100 people if everyone squished in and it isn't so hot you mind a bit of cuddling.  The benches are the old style must-be-5-feet-tall-or-shorter-to-ride kind. 

You can feel the Holy Spirit just glowing through.

My God Is So Big moments came during the night, staring up at a sky so dark you can see every star God made.

By complete surprise, we ran into Irene right before lunch on Saturday -one of the women who walked the Camino de Santiago when I did, only taking the Northern route. Small world!  The three of us recounting our experiences and what we learned, and reminding each other that the Camino continues at home made that deli another holy place.

I forget so easily.  I had forgotten that God just wants to be with me, that I am His beloved daughter, that none of my burdens are mine alone to carry.

I had also forgotten my own responsibility for honoring my own needs, remembering that I count, too.  I had been busy blaming the stress in my life for my weight gain, for example, rather than admitting my own responsibility... my boss certainly isn't making me eat junk food or telling me to stop exercising.

The little holy places felt like a retreat from normal life.  Sometimes it does help to leave the dishes undone and the laundry in the basket and go someplace lovely to just be.

The little holy places remind you of the things you've always known.