Thursday, March 26, 2009

pilgrimmages

i'm not really sure how to spell that but i guess we'll just go with it.

i have been told numerous times in the last few months that i should read the book emotionally healthy spirituality. i actually have a plan to read it at some point in time but i haven't managed to get my hands on a copy of it yet. i was close at one point in time in dover, delaware thanks to good 'ol kenny and connie but we were thwarted by observation of sabbath rest by the church secretary and therefore unable to get into the church to snatch up a copy. alas...

anyway, there was a speaker at a training in attended in january/february who also spoke of this book among other things and he said something which has stuck with me. christians need to go on more pilgrimmages, he said. pilgrimmages, eh? an interesting thought. so my parents and i went to cantebury. really we did. but just as tourists.

i have realized though that the last few months for me have been a sort of pilgrimmage. more specifically, a few weeks ago i visited my grandmother on my mom's side and my grandfather's grave. i hadn't seen her in at least 4 years if not more. good times. she and my grandfather were missionaries in india in the late 40s and then moved back to the US where he pastored a couple of churches for a long time. one of those churches i visited last week and was struck to meet people who still attend the church since the days of my grandparents. again, the heritage of faith is astounding.

i have a friend who works at the church my grandfather pastored in annapolis. i went to hang out with her one day during her lunch break and we sat in a little garden outside the church. we were talking and then she says, hey, that bench you're sitting on is dedicated to your grandfather! weird. i can't escape it!!! it's everywhere!!! i guess that's a good thing.

i taught my grandmother some kiswahili while i was there... with the help of my mom. grandma, how do you say hello is kiswahili? what is the coolest basketball project in tanzania called? oh yeah.