Patient Waiting

One important characteristic needed to walk the Camino de Santiago is patience. It is a long, long walk and there is nothing quick or easy about it. You undergo a test of you patience throughout the walk. It is one step after another in an what seems at times to be too much to take. Yet, I find it so interesting that it is in my patient waiting and endurance I learn so much about myself.

I am not someone that likes this patient waiting as I often like to just skip ahead and skim over things to get to the end. That is why I love thinking and meditating on this most profound quote I read from Teilhard de Chardin. It causes me to pause and re-think about the value and purpose of patient waiting.

“We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually – let the grow, let the shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.”

The Camino was an important part of my life as it provided such an excellent time to work on this area of my life. Yet, as my blog states “We are all pilgrims” and everyday I find more and more opportunities to be patient and to let things mature and grow gradually without my impatient demanding ways trying to force things.

It is ok, to be on the way, waiting patiently to see what will unfold. I pray that we all learn to accept within ourselves

“The anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.” (Teilhard de Chardin)

Blessings and grace be with you,
John

Photograph of the Month

Three on a Tree

I love symmetry in nature. I saw the three crows in the top of the tree and figured it might be something cool to work with later in the creative post processing stage.

Keep The People You Love Close

“It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life.” Fred Rogers

This is a quote from a book I am reading on the life and work of Fred Rogers, the genius creator and star of the public television show, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. It is an inspiring story of a true humble and authentic man with a true love of children. He is someone I have come to really admire and want to emulate.

Fred Roger’s quote is so true. We all face difficult things in life and Terri and I sure faced many during our long walk across Spain. Physical and emotional pain were something we faced almost daily in our Camino walk.

What a blessing it was indeed to have each other to lean on during our walk! Each difficulty we faced together and we worked our way through them one at a time. After a couple weeks of walking, we became very weary and tired of the walking. This long walk can take a toll on your body. Yet we learned quickly that the key to making this long walk together, was to lean on each other. To love and care for each other.

What a great lesson for us all today to learn and live out each day. Life is a long journey that is filled with difficult things that we must face. Oh, how much easier it is to have those we love beside us in these times. Facing it all alone makes our journey so much harder. We need each other. Let’s hold each other fast as we faced life’s difficulties.

Blessings and grace to you all,

John

Photograph of the Week

Liberty Bell Grandeur

This is one of my favorite photographs I have taken this year and I wanted to share it with you as well. This image was captured from the Washington Pass Overlook in early October this year. The mountain is called Liberty Bell and it is at the top of the North Cascades pass.

The yellow trees at the base of the mountain are Larch trees. They are interesting in that they are pine trees that drop their pine needles each fall,  just like the deciduous trees that turn color and drop their leaves.