Coffee in Amsterdam

Easy flight to Amsterdam, and a 3+ wait for the flight to Scotland. Time for a good cup of coffee and pleasant pass times of knitting, journaling, and reading in the very welcoming public waiting area. We left Atlanta at 3 PM yesterday, and it's still dark here at 7 AM.

One of the books I brought for this trip is Mary Earle's Holy Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints. Today I am reading about St. Columba, who began a monastery on the Isle of Iona in the 6th century.

Here are some of his words:

Let me bless almighty God, whose power extends over sea and land.....
Let me study sacred books to calm my soul;
I pray for peace, kneeling at heaven's gates.
Let me do my daily work...
Let me say my daily prayers, sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet, always thanking God....

I offer these words particularly to those
being confirmed at St. Mary's today:
Ryne, Deede, Bill, Claire, Holden, Trevor,Michael, Melanie, and Erika.

I'm praying for you, especially today.

Trip #3

I'm now seated at Atlanta Hartsfield airport in the beautiful new Terminal F waiting for my plane to Glasgow via Amsterdam. It's the third trip of my Sabbatical--destinations are Isle of Iona and Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

I'm going with my new camera (birthday present from my mom). Somewhere in the air between Tel Aviv and Newark I realised that I didn't have my pretty blue camera, dented as it was from too many drops. As upset as I was about the loss of the camera, what I was really upset about was the loss of three camera cards full of pictures. I was especially upset because when I went to Turkey seven years ago, my camera was stolen and all photos were lost. Not again!

I knew the last place I'd used it (getting coffee at Aroma with my brother). As soon as I landed in Newark, I began working out how I could locate it. Many, many, many emails and many, many, many (unanswered) phone calls later by me and two other dear people, I connected with the right person who could tell me that my camera had been found.

The next challenge was finding someone who could go to the Tel Aviv airport to fetch it for me (no mailing available). Thanks to my brother, a friend of a friend is coming to Houston via Tel Aviv around the first of November and will bring it with her. I can certainly wait!

I am thankful beyond measure that this fervent answer to prayer was a yes.
Thanks, God, and whoever found my camera and turned it into lost and found. Abundant blessings be upon you.

Happy birthday to me

Today is my birthday, and I'm spending it with my mother at her farm in Chambersville, Texas. Last night my two brothers and my daughter gathered with us for a great birthday feast which included my brother Austin's fabulous pasta and home made bread and of course my mother's chocolate pie. It was a lovely evening.

One of my morning devotions today included a prayer from Amma Mary of Egypt, one of the desert mothers:
"Now therefore, lead me wherever you please; lead me to salvation, teach me what is true, and go before me in the desert."

A great prayer to begin another year.

Praying at the Western Wall

It's Saturday afternoon and my brother has gone off to find a holy site, and I've decided to spend these nearly last moments in the Holy Land back one final time at the Western Wall (that small bit of wall remaining from the Temple Mount from when the Temple was destroyed in the first century, also called "the wailing wall"). I'm on the woman's side, of course.

I came last Sunday and prayed, and today wanted to spend time with women of all nations and ages and faiths in prayer. In a few moments I'll walk towards the wall to pray--for those so very many dear to me that I have carried in my heart on this long, mostly hot, mostly challenging, mostly inspiring, pilgrim's walk.

........ And as I was writing these words a woman all in white came up to me and said with authority, "No phone! Shabbat!". I quickly showed her that I wasn't talking; I was writing. She even more quickly replied, "No writing! Shabbat!"

Horrified that I had offended my hosts, I decided that I have something more to learn about keeping Sabbath. I stopped all my busyness and did the one thing that is always allowed--I prayed.

As I finish writing this, I am nearly packed for our 6.30 AM airport shuffle.
The French doors of my tiny room at Christ Church Guest House inside the Old City Walls are open to the symphony of Jerusalem sounds that never stop. I'm glad to be going home but there is much that I'll miss in this strange and holy place.

(Found out later that photography is forbidden, too. Oh well. Here's my photo anyway.)

Back in Jerusalem

I'm on the final piece of my three weeks in the Holy Land. I've seen amazing places and reading the Bible will never be the same again. Today we traveled from Nazareth to Ein Kerem and the Church of the Visitation (Luke 1. 26--56). Tomorrow we leave first thing for Bethlehem.

Yesterday my brother and I drove
north and were within easy walking distance of Syria and Lebanon. On my trip south I'd been as close to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I could clearly see all four countries, but was unable to enter them either because of passport or safety issues.

In the south of Jordan and Israel we saw "camel crossing" signs--and we did indeed see camels frequently. In northeast Israel we saw "tank crossing" signs and "danger--land mine" warnings. Tonight when my brother and I walked to the Holy Sepulchre, an armed soldier stood outside the door. As we have driven away from many communities, the word "peace" in three languages has been written on signs bidding us farewell.

Such is this wildly beautiful place where the Prince of Peace chose to show through his very life what peace that passes understanding looks like in the flesh.

From Psalm 122

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’