Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Pilgrims?

This painting was supposed to be a straightforward rendering of Mohonk’s Memorial Gateway.  But, in process, it somehow morphed into a pilgrimage site.  (Click on it to enlarge.) That got me to thinking.

It is easy–and satisfying–to consider life as high drama.  But our actual lives might be better characterized as pilgrimages.  We slowly tread through life in search of belonging and maybe a glimpse of beauty or truth. 

That might be part of what draws us to hike in beautiful places like Mohonk and Minnewaska.   It is a small scale version of our larger journey.  And the carefully maintained trails and markers serve as reminders that the only things that make the journey possible are kindnesses, large and small, from our families, friends and others.

It is kind of reassuring and unsettling at the same time, isn’t it?

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