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Segovia and the Beauty of Reconciliation
Guys, it’s 10:15 at night, all Saints Day, and I’m just beginning this post. Arghh. I’ve made a commitment to posting on Fridays and darn it, I’m going to keep it — though I can’t guarantee this post will make any sense, because this girl is tired. TIRED. So what to write about? Hmm, how about the time we went to Segovia, Spain. It’s a rainy Fall day, so it seems a perfect time to reminisce about a place that was hot and arid and so different than the place I call home. Let me give you a little glimpse of a summer night in Segovia to get you in…
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We’re Ba-aack!
Just got home last night from our family pilgrimage to Ireland. We are exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. How does that happen? As I began unpacking I came upon the itinerary I made for my parents and John and I. One thing we have learned is that the itinerary is the thing that keeps you on track when all hell breaks loose — which is sometimes a few times in one day — it was invaluable for keeping 10 people on track with all the miles we covered on this trip. We started off our epic family pilgrimage with the baby climbing into the car and patiently waiting…
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Ireland and Connecting Our Kids With Their Story
This year we will make the last of our family pilgrimages before we reach the next stage of our lives: children in college and finding ourselves absolutely broke for the next twenty years. Ha, Ha. The truth is, we are likely broke now, but we’ve decided to ignore that reality and finish the “Trilogy” of family pilgrimages before our kids have grown too old to have the time or desire to travel with us anymore. We knew that Italy, Spain and Portugal, and Ireland had to make the top of that list — not because of their appeal to tourists, but because of their deeply Catholic roots. There are plenty…
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On Pilgrimage: One Day in Fatima
Why go to all the time, effort and money to go on pilgrimage? Certainly that money could be given to the poor or spent on the many practical needs of every family — so how can a person justify the time and money spent on such a trip? Fortunately for John and I, traveling with our six kids has helped to purify our motives a bit. Let’s be honest, traveling with 6 kids for two weeks can be akin to traveling in the dessert for 40 years with the Israelites — complaining, moaning, hunger, thirst, wondering if the agony will ever end — and did I mention complaining? So, yeah,…
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San Sebastian: Walking the Camino and Fighting Resistance
Somebody please explain to me why anybody would be tempted to skip a beatiful hike through the the Spanish mountains, surrounded by views like these: For me, it came down to resistance. Resistance: it’s become a popular term among Catholics, but it’s roots reach all the way back to the earliest days of Christianity. Perhaps St. Paul put it best, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Rom 7:15) I often face resistance in my own life: resisting evil, yes — but even more so, I resist doing the good. Maybe it’s because I…
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San Sebastián: Facing our Fears, Weddings, and Finding Hope Again
It’s hard to describe that feeling after making it onto the train. As we stumbled into our seats and the train pulled away from the Barcelona Sants Station, John and I both looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like we had dodged a bullet — and in some way, maybe we had. Within a few hours of our departure, Barcelona experienced a terrible terrorist attack. Thank goodness we had run our tails off to make that train! As we looked at our baby laughing with our oldest son — with Barcelona fading into the distance — we could only feel grateful. Grateful for everything we didn’t…
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Barcelona: Gaudi, Failure, and Being the Light
My last post was not a very pleasant picture of Barcelona. Stolen wallets, the darkness we felt, and a close call with terrorists isn’t likely to be linked to by the Barcelona tourism board any time soon. 🙁 So it might surprise you that if asked whether or not I would recommend a visit to Barcelona, I would most definitely say it is a worthwhile place to visit. Honestly, the darker moments were really good moments for all of us. They left us with the conviction that we must try our best to be the light in the world. And let’s be honest — often our best is pretty darn…
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Barcelona: Stolen Wallets, Terrorist Attacks, and Making Sense of It All
We recently returned home from a family pilgrimage to Spain, Portugal and Fatima. Gotta say, it did not disappoint. It was an amazing journey from beginning to end. So let’s begin at the beginning: Barcelona. Our time in Barcelona began with us deciding to travel as pilgrims do: hoofing it with all of our bags, taking public transportation, and making our way to our hotel off of Las Ramblas. There we were, jet-lagged beyond belief, trying our best to make sure we didn’t lose a child or a bag, navigating the very busy metro system of Barcelona. It was going pretty well — until we found ourselves literally split into…
