Sadness only one of the many emotions…

Two years to the date, hour and probably minute, Bill and I were patiently waiting inside the darkened Notre Dame Cathedral, for the Easter Vigil celebration, complete with the fire and the procession bringing in the light to those assembled and gradually filling the whole space with light! Two years on, having a quite meal with our Camino friends in Budapest we here the terrible news… fire ravaged Notre Dame! What do you do with this news? Say I was there, I saw the beauty of the building, the glorious stained glass, and I felt the sacredness of being on holy ground, of treading over historical events?I am more inclined to dwell on the feelings this event evokes, especially as it coincides with some of my current experiences.I feel mostly sadness in solidarity with those French singing and watching outside. I felt the sadness that comes from the realization that we are totally helpless in the face of certain forces or events.I felt the same walking past the House of Terror,visiting the 1956 memorial,seeing the bullet holes in the building opposite the Parliament in Budapest,reading a little about the sad short life of the national poet Jozef Attila,listening to the stories of both young and older Jews searching and claiming their identityand feeling the crushing weight of the vestiges of the Russian presence.

At the same time I feel the tremulous pride of the young Hungarian reciting “life is like the Danube” in homage to the poet on National Poetry day, I feel the welcome and curiosity of the students studying English, I admire the amount of history, art, culture and natural beauty that surrounds me and I know that the rebuild and the future will hold all…

Leaving…

A few days before departure and we are overwhelmed by the number of well-wishers. Colleagues, friends and family have all gathered to send us on our way. We have received hugs, kisses, words of encouragement and Blessings. We are at once encouraged and daunted by the enormity of our venture. We are leaving the safety of home and the often numbing comfort of our usual routine trading it for weeks of new experiences in foreign countries. Our Hope’s are for growth in understanding and appreciation for the world and the people with whom we share it and a deeper, closer relationship to God. We are buoyed by everyone near and far, you have all become part of our Camino family and you will be with us with each step that we take. Thank you, God bless and Buen Camino.