My Intentional Camino: Bye, Bye! Don't Slam the Door on the Way Out!

It was about noon when I finished writing to you yesterday about my decision to let go of the things that were troubling me and turn back to Love's embrace.   I was pretty tired after all of that, so I decided to give myself a treat.  I hopped on my bike and cruised the four miles to Brookgreen Gardens in search of two things once again: a bowl of their famous she-crab soup and a long-shot quest to see if they have a replica of the Joan of Arc that stands on Riverside Drive in NYC, which I had just posted a picture of in that morning's blog.

When I arrived, I stopped in the Visitor's Center to ask, and the helpful volunteer pulled out a large volume of the 1500 or so works that they have on display and in storage.  Her eyebrows shot up when she found an entry for the Joan of Arc, and she directed me down garden paths to their storage building behind the cafe.

I saw The Offering on my way, which is one of the few religious statues on the property.  It is stunning...

 And then I reached the cafe, so I checked to see if they had the she-crab soup.  They did not, but they did have hot coffee, and so I had some while taking in the garden view.

And then I made it into the gallery-slash-storage room and this is what I saw...

Yes, among the incredible mishmash of sculpture, were Anna Hyatt Huntington's two most famous works!!  (Albeit in small scale. )  They stood out so clearly among the rest of the American sculpture for their realism, fine detail, and heroic qualities of the nobility of man...and woman!

 Thrilled with my "catch of the day," I decided to go and find the second item on my agenda...and I had fifteen minutes to make it there before the Pavilion Restaurant closed at 2:30.

On the way, I couldn't help but linger over the winter daphne, so lemony and fragrant!

And then into the restaurant with ten minutes to spare.  The caesar salad and she-crab soup were just the thing I needed to cap off the day.

And the flowers were blooming..

And as I returned to my bike, I glimpsed the Don Quixote from behind and waved all my troubles goodbye!

JOY!

My Intentional Camino: Driving Out the Enemy

Joan of Arc, New York City, Anna Hyatt Huntington

A mysterious visitor came to see me in my little camper, my poustinia, my desert place by the sea.  He crept in so quietly that I didn't even realized that he was there.

Who was it?

Well, I think it was the devil himself.  Yes, I am  quite sure.

Did I see a tail and horns?

No, not at all!  In fact, had he been brandishing them, he would have been much easier to see!

Did he scare me?

Not at all!  In fact, I was holding onto him and feeling justified in wanting him to stay!

What do I mean?

Well, since I have been on my retreat at the beach, I have been using it as a time to put aside all of my life's distractions and spend time with God, thinking about my life so far and where to go from here.  

Along with taking long walks on the beach, I have cried. 

And as I thought about my injuries and hurts and disappointments, I unknowingly squeezed my mysterious companion tighter and tighter, knowing that he would see things from my side. 

And as I held onto him, I found my heart getting smaller and my gaze falling lower until I was only looking at myself and my pain. 

And he linked his arm in mine as I cried out to God, saying "It isn't fair! It hurts! I'm almost dead!"

Want to know what happened next?

Well, last night after sitting and stewing until after midnight, I closed my laptop and went to bed.

And so?

Well, when I woke up this morning, I suddenly thought, "Who needs a life of being right?   Who needs a life of keeping others at arm's distance so that I won't be hurt again?  Wouldn't it be better to kiss the devil goodbye, and let it all go?"

And so I did.

And suddenly the devil fled from my poustinia, as quietly as he had come, leaving not so much as a hoof print behind.

My Intentional Camino: Accepting God's Healing Love

"On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.  Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.  They immediately told him about her.  He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.  Then the fever left her and she waited on them. " (New American Bible: Mark 1: 29-31)

This Gospel proclaimed out loud in churches throughout the earth yesterday, was heard and believed by at least one person...and that person was me.  How do I know that I believed it?  Because all that has been troubling me has left me today.   My worries, my fears, my anger, my regrets, my concerns, my infirmity, my sinking back from faith and hope and love and back into an ocean of doubt. 

  "Resist the devil and He will flee from you!" (NAB: James 4:7)

The very same Jesus

Who walked the dusty roads of Israel

 2000 years ago

 still walks the earth today!

He is risen from the dead! 

 (That is the reason for our faith!)

And when we believe, He can do mighty healing works!

(Like casting out evils of resentment, anger, grief, despondency, depression, physical illness, addictions, and fear.

 Like forgiving the wrongs we have done to others.

 Like bandaging up our wounds so that we can be healed.)

He listens to the prayers that we offer up for our loved ones!

  (We can bring our loved ones to His attention and He will act through the open door of our concern for them and faith in Him!)

He responds and enters our own houses!

 (And poustinias too!)

He sees us languishing and offers us His hand!

His hand of Love to lift us up.

And when we are feeling well, we can show Jesus our gratitude by offering a helping hand to others.

For we are all God's children.

Jesus desires only that we turn from the things that hurt us and give them to Him, to Love.

Why? So that we can be healed and free once again.  

Free for what? 

Free to love God and serve others.

Praise God!

My Intentional Camino: Telling Our Stories

Waking up this morning still warm in my cozy sleeping sac despite temperatures that hovered around freezing through the night, I nestled in for a bit of thanksgiving and prayer and reflection before rising.

Reaching for my reading glasses and flipping through the pages of my Magnificat for the devotions of today, I came across this quote:

"What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people...capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life."  Porter Fidei #15

And then there was a reflection on the life of Brother Lawrence, the self described "great awkward fellow who broke everything" and entered a monastery at the age of fifty two.  Aspiring to become learned and smart and thereby overcome his perceived deficiencies and clumsiness, he was disappointed to be assigned instead the task of kitchen duty and mopping floors.

"Lord of all pots and pans and things

Make me a saint by getting meals

And washing up the plates!"

Though he lived in the 1600's he inspires us to realize that we can "practice the presence of God," by inviting God into our daily routines and duties.

Who has inspired you in your vision of God?

Have you shared your own experiences with others?

(Perhaps you have and not even known it!)

  

Just this week, many of you have inspired me:

by posting your paintings on Facebook
by reaching out by email, phone, Facebook, Words With Friends and prayer
by relating how you cooked for you sons' college friends for the Super Bowl
by taking time to conference me in on a meeting
by knitting hats for our two college boys in snowy Boone
by posting pictures of your activities and lives

by expressing your love for your wife while commenting on a photo she posted
by reaching out for moral support and prayer
and perhaps most simply and powerfully,
by your presence in my life, no matter the circumstances.

Knowing your love for me helps me to realize how precious I am.

(Aw, what's not to love??!)

My Intentional Camino: Jousting at Windmills

I returned for a third time this week to Brookgreen Gardens with only two things in mind:  to eat a shrimp sandwich at the Pavilion restaurant and to see Anna Hyatt Huntington's famous Don Quixote.  

What I didn't expect was to be so wrecked by the haunting image of a mentally ill hero and his emaciated horse, which I understood was sculpted from a starving horse that Anna found, housed, fed, and frantically sculpted over a period of about thirty days before the poor thing was fattened up and restored to health.

Here is my day in pictures!

My Intentional Camino: Getting Away From It All, or Not!

in my little 

cubbyhole by the sea

i realize once again

that no matter how far out i go

gee, could it be? 

yes, it is true

there, my friends, i am!

My Intentional Camino: Brookgreen Gardens

The first time I thought it, I was on day six of an Outward Bound backpacking trek through the Three Sisters Mountains outside of Bend, Oregon in the fall of 2002.  I stank to high heaven and when I sat down for my solo in a hidden place in the brush, all kinds of insects came over to investigate.  Seeing lines of black ants crawling up my legs and swatting the bees buzzing 'round my head, I was up and dancing, trying to get some relief. That's when I realized that the best way to enjoy nature is with a little man made invention in-between.

So too with aesthetics, for Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington surely knew that 6,000 acres of forests, gardens, and pools would not only showcase her works and their American sculpture collection well, but the land would benefit too.  So it is at Brookgreen Gardens.  For $14 you can wander through the parks and zoos for seven days and surely find your inspiration there!