The Point of Pilgrimage

                                                   © A. Rutherford*

Psalm 84:5-7

Blessed are those whose strength is in the Lord,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs,

where pools of blessing collect after the rains!
They will continue to grow stronger,

till each appears before God in Zion.

A pilgrim spends his or her life going somewhere, but the destination is not the only goal of the journey.  Making a pilgrimage is much different than merely traveling.  One of the goals of the pilgrim, perhaps in some ways more significant than the place where you end up, is what happens to and in you along the way.

To those more driven and goal-oriented a pilgrim may appear to be meandering, or may even seem to others to be camped in a spot. What cannot be seen at those times, I think, is that the journey has gone inward for a bit, and then at the time when the interior work has been accomplished, the pilgrim will journey outward again, pick up the external path, and continue on his or her way.

Or perhaps the journey is halted at an oasis of the spirit just so one can enjoy being there for a little while, before going on. Time expands in these quiet, refreshing places, strength is gathered, and sometimes course correction is done, if necessary.

What are these pools of blessing mentioned in Psalm 84? 

Good art and books, poetry, nature, music, travel, good conversation, friends and family who love you and whom you love, prayer, scripture reading and meditation, serving others . . . these are not "places" to be hurried through merely to get on to somewhere or something else. They are the essence of life itself . . . a life well lived that is.

And so I begin the new year with a new enterprise . . .  my cyber-journal . . . a place to share thoughts and aspects of my journey . . . 

First, a poetic reflection upon the prospect of a new year . . .

How Beautiful the Turning of the Year

How beautiful the turning of the year!
A moment artificial yet profound:
A point upon an arbitrary chart
Passing like a breath upon the heart,
Yearning with anticipation wound,
New hope, new harmony in old-fashioned cheer.
Even when the boundary line is clear,
We recognize the oneness of the ground.
Years, like circles, do not end or start
Except we lay across their truth our art,
Adjusting dates as they go round and round
Revolving to a tune long sung and dear.

                                                 -Nicholas Gordon

*Photo taken on Achill Island, Ireland, 2007
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