It is truly amazing how, when we consciously remove daily distractions from our lives such as computers, television, cell phones, email, texting, tweeting, etc., we can be intentional about focusing ourselves on our relationship with God and our place in the world in which we live. When prepping the pilgrims on what they could and couldn’t bring on pilgrimage, I braced myself for the resistance I thought we’d get when we told them they couldn’t bring their cell phones, iPods, or cameras with them. There was some dissension, but certainly not to the degree I had anticipated. I figured that would come later once we were there. After arriving in Seattle, I prepared myself for the resistance I thought we’d get when we set a time for going to bed and waking up each day (the song, “This is the Day the Lord has Made,” will never be the same again). But to my pleasant surprise, the pilgrims were usually asleep before lights out and woke up fairly willingly each morning. As time wore on during our nine-day stay in Washington, I fully expected the complaints about various things to increase such as we were doing too much hiking, we were spending too much time in the van we affectionately named “the litter box,” we were going to too many museums, we had to cook and clean up too many times, we had given them too many tasks and responsibilities, etc. I can honestly say I don’t remember hearing a single complaint. And believe it or not, electronic devices were missed by no one.
I think the hardest thing for the pilgrims to adjust to was just living in the moment. Anxious to know what was next on our agenda, they would eagerly ask questions about what was on tap for the next day. This is where their journals came in very handy. Their journals aided them in their desire for information – here they could catch a glimpse of what was yet to come by reading about Sabbath-Keeping, The Benedictine Rule, Monastic Silence, the GOMA Fire Ritual, and ways to pray, among other things. It also gave each of us a chance to reflect on the day’s activities, prompting us to describe our feelings through the things we had experienced. And, most importantly, were our letters from friends, family, and our St. John’s community – kind, supportive, inspirational, and humorous notes. It meant the world to us just knowing that, even though we were so far away, you all were here thinking about us, missing us, and praying for us while we were across the country doing the same for you.
Pilgrimage is a time for seeking and finding God in new ways. While traveling, we met God in Marianne, one of our Southwest Airlines flight attendants. In Seattle, we heard God in the voices of the male choir during Compline at The Cathedral of Saint Mark. We saw God in the face of Mother Maria and heard Him in the silence of the chapel at the St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery. We experienced God while dancing with members of the Duwamish Indian tribe. We saw God in the Reverend Marda Sanborn at St. James Episcopal Church as she signed, as well as spoke, her sermon about David and Goliath. We heard God in the chanting and mantras of Reverend Tai at the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple. We felt God’s Holy presence and saw His beauty as we hiked the Carter Falls Trail at Mount Rainier and the Staircase in the Olympic National Park, thanks to Jeff “Right On” Gruber. We heard God speak through Rick Endicott, Facility Manager of the Lilliwaup Creek Hatchery, as he spoke passionately about his organization, “Long Live the Kings.” And we met God in our Resident Host, The Reverend Candace Corrigan, at Bayne Cottage (St. Andrews Retreat House on the Hood Canal) where she led us in our Litany of Light and closing Eucharist.
Each day, as we lived together as a community of pilgrims, we all grew in body, mind, and spirit – sharing, laughing, praying, dancing, learning, singing, crying, reflecting, playing, and caring for one another in the name of God. Now, this is what a pilgrimage is!
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, Summer 2012.