#8 - Pal-grims of a Million Little Miracles”

At the start of 2025’s Summer (before I met the love of my life), I felt an odd sense of loneliness.  It was odd because I didn’t mind being alone (even enjoyed it), but there were times like on Friday or Saturday nights where I wanted to be around healthy people.  Here I am 40 years old…my daughter moved away to live with her spouse (empty nesting is difficult emotionally especially when my daughter has been my only child).  I had no significant other and in fact was still processing the end of a brief romantic relationship with one of my best friends that didn’t end well due to the relaxed nature of how he parented his children…and mourning the loss of that long-term friendship on top of the break up.  One Saturday evening I was feeling particularly emotional about being alone and I contacted my mom about coming over to her house to possibly play some board games.  She said that she was actually hosting a dinner for the group she serves with at church and she graciously invited me over.  I didn’t hesitate and went to meet the group.  I had seen these familiar faces at church but I was still the new kid on the block and I began to invest in knowing who these people are because I could tell they were all special and so very dear to Abba.  Two of them are a married couple named John and Deb.  I noticed around John’s neck was a particularly interestingly beautiful cross necklace; a two-ish by one-ish inch cross with a silver circle in the background and gold in the middle hooked on a black string.  I asked him, “Hey!  That’s a neat cross necklace you have there, where did you get that?!”  He replied with an initially elongated response by saying, “Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll…since you asked…” and out of his back pants pocket he pulled out a tri-folded brochure about pilgrimage.  I was hooked after that and John and Deb became my mom and I’s sponsors for MP75 (WOOOHOOOO!)!  Had I never gone to my mom and dad’s that night to visit in that particular feeling of loneliness and meeting John and Deb personally…I may never have gone to pilgrimage.  Before I get too deep into this…I would like to formally and publicly thank John and Deb for sponsoring me for Michigan Pilgrimage.  You two have been such a blessing in my life.  Not only are you kind, loving, thoughtful, and generous children of God…but you two in your marriage have inspired me.  Your relationship together is beautiful.  One particular night in chapel I saw you two reunite afterwards and I was just nonchalantly watching the both of you hug and witness how loving you two spoke with each other in the October moonlight.  I see the strength and beauty in you two individually but I also see greater strength and beauty within your loving relationship together and even more so when I was able to witness you two serving at pilgrimage.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing up in my life, welcoming me into your lives, and being the amazing people that you are.  I am blessed to know you and to have you in my life.  Thank you for inviting me to pilgrimage and the opportunity to grow closer to God, walk closer to Jesus, and listen closer to Holy Spirit.  

I am going to quote Jocko Willink for a moment…if you don’t know what I am talking about, please revisit #7 - “I Want to Ride my Bicycle” and click on the Jocko Willink link to his video, “Good”.  Everyone that has the ability to read this blog is on a journey and yet NONE of us are THE SAME journey and they often differ by time (age), experiences, choices, and callings…in other words…your journey is a combination of the above.  Yet…there is one common denominator in the midst of it all…God…and for most of us…the ability to have breath in our lungs to say…”GOOD”.  

Another word for those that “journey” are “pilgrims”.  This past weekend I was blessed enough to go on a well thought out and beautifully planned christian pilgrimage (I am going to stress here this is NOT a retreat and I will explain in a moment as to why this is).  I will say…my initial thoughts about this were NOT positive so allow me to start at the beginning so that you can see the transformation without giving too much away.  Just as there is beautiful mystery behind God’s love and plan for us…there is mystery with pilgrimage which must prevail.  When you are reading a new book, watching a new movie, or playing through a new storyline in a video game…you don’t typically want that story spoiled for you.  It is my heart to not spoil this for you…but I will be 100% authentically honest which is no deviation from the usual here.  With that being said, it is also not my heart to offend anyone with this either but I know I MUST be honest so the beginning part of pilgrimage…will contain PREVIOUS, SURFACE, and RAW thoughts which have nothing but our loving transformer Jesus and the time, energy, attention, and money (T.E.A.M. - Going back to Pastor Ted from Grace Community Church) of everyone who served on pilgrimage between this past Thursday to Sunday.  I will be forever grateful for this past weekend even if it seems like I am not at first, so buckle up…and know my perspective on all of this was initially temporarily negative…and positively transformed.

I had spent all day with the love of my life Thursday.  The weekend before he was at a men’s retreat and the weekend after was my pilgrimage (shout out to my MP 75 PAL-grims - WHOOHOOO!!!).  I was bumming because since he and I began dating we have been borderline inseparable…when you know you have found your person…you just know.  You know?  LOL!!!  I also hadn’t seen his kids (whom I dearly love) for WEEKS as schedules didn’t align to see them; they were on their way to his home and one of them was actually already there which made it harder to leave if I am being honest.  No Sunday lunch with my family either… which is a dedicated routine for our family to connect and fellowship after church. For those of you that know my family and I…our bond is so special and unparalleled so missing out on time with them (again-time is my primary love language) felt troubling for me.   I would even miss out on time with Roxy (a 2 year old pulchritudinous, loyal, and ADHD german shepherd) and my kitties (Ony, Kota, Luci, and Tommy).  To top it all off…I knew well ahead of time months ago…NO ELECTRONICS.  Which means…no outside contact…solitude from the outside world for 4 days typically seems great…but I was going to miss my people on the outside.  I was bumming and didn’t really want to leave the house but I also knew I was embarking on a journey that Holy Spirit told me was going to be a beautiful adventure.  I left with an energy drink in hand, 3 large bags (I didn’t know how to pack…this weather is weird and layers cost a lot of bag space), and a prayerful heart on the way there.  I actively saw nature changing from Summer to Autumn in all the miraculous colorful glory created from God.  Sometimes we tend to bypass little miracles or play them off as coincidence but I have said it many times before and I will say it again…there are no coincidences with God.  I will say that I PLANNED to wear my hoodie that says “Fall for Jesus; he never leaves” which was given to me from the love of my life.  It was a piece of him I was taking with me and even more so fitting of the season and purpose of my obedience to Jesus by going to pilgrimage.  Going to pilgrimage was a calling of obedience…not a calling of convenience.  It was everything BUT convenient when I arrived.  The hustle and bustle of people everywhere while I was trying to find a parking space was intense and I don’t know about you all but when I go somewhere new…I want to find a parking spot and just get to where I am going!  I was due inside in 10 minutes (made it “early” -  LOL) and the parking lot looked full until…I did a loop around to see there were spots IN FRONT!  How the HECK did that happen when the parking lot was FULL?!  I waved to a couple of nice gentlemen with carts, they looked like they were helping others with bags but surely they were helping someone handicapped because God gave me two arms and two legs.  I parked the car in front where there was immediate availability and next to an SUV (this will be important in the end so “put a pin” in this).  NGL…I felt borderline guilty for parking up front and was hoping I wasn’t taking someone’s spot that may have needed it more.  One of the gentlemen I waved to came up to MY car with a cart and insisted on taking my bags.  Initially I fought it because why is this older gentleman taking my heavy bags?!  I feel we should take care of those older than us so internally I was thinking, “NO WAY, SIR!!!”  When I realized he wasn’t taking “let me help” for an answer, I gave up.  As I am writing this at this very moment, Holy Spirit wants to remind you and I that the man was there to serve…oftentimes we also tell Jesus “NO WAY, SIR!!!” but He has already got it all…He serves us through His grace, mercy, love, and sacrifice.  This kind gentleman recognized Jesus’s love for children of God and was there to reflect His grace, mercy, love, and sacrifice.  And ultimately…I had to surrender to the man taking my bags…in a similar way to surrendering my life and obedience to Jesus.  So…He got my bags…I had no idea where they were going but I trusted the man and what he was doing…he really seemed like he knew what he was doing anyways…I was just being stubborn.  Fancy that!

I walked to the doorway of the main building and I saw my mom, LOTS church family, and MANY unfamiliar faces that became my fellow MP75 pal-grims.  Hugs flowed like rounds of beer from a tap on a red solo cupped weekend as a teenager.  Before I knew it, I was “tagged” with my name badge and registration.  This seemed so technical for a “retreat”.  Weren’t retreats supposed to be informal and relaxing?  Why the formality with the name badge?  I will say the name badge was one that was able to open up.  This is also important and will come into play later on.  I was escorted by my amazing sponsors, Deb and John to my room in the midst of crowds of people…there were approximately 80-ish (“-ish” is one of my favorite words for the record…you can all thank my mom for that) of us there and then add in those that were serving and it was a maze in a new place!  I get to the dorm room where I’d be staying and I see a double sized bed, a full bed, and a bunk bed in this room.  The double sized bed had a woman on it (I will call her “T”), and the bunk bed had another woman on it (I will call her “P”).  They were both older than I and they had been best friends for over 30 years; I found myself often blessed to have encountered the beauty and testimony of their kinship...something unique like that doesn’t just go unnoticed by me or anyone that understands God’s “million little miracles”.  P had like 7 or 8 children that she raised on her own after their father ditched the family and T was a widow…both beautiful women and children of God with unrivaled strengths.  These were my roommates and healthy influences for the 4 days I was at pilgrimage in room 108.

We didn’t have much time to settle in because dinner was on its way.  First of all…I didn’t expect to be fed SO WELL and the food was OUTSTANDING!!!  Every meal…every time.  When you go to pilgrimage…you can COUNT on being fed delicious food and LOTS of it!!!  If you go hungry throughout your day…it is TOTALLY ON YOU!!! LOL!!!  They provide snacks, soda, water, and LOTS OF COFFEE if you’re anything like me.  Big shout out to Kathy who served our table during “school”.  I use the word school here because the days and nights were filled with a combination of worship, chapel, discussions, and creative expressions (so many posters that first day LOL) of the discussions.  I am using the blunt terminology of my initial thoughts here because hindsight is always 20/20 but even 100/100 when you can see how and where God was moving in those moments.  This leads me to express the honesty behind it all…yes it was worship, chapel, discussions, and creative expressions…but it was also vastly more than that.  

Hymns aren’t my thing during worship…yet sometimes when we go back to get the hindsight 100/100 we deserve through the eyes of God…”no cap” is amazing.  Sure hymns are slower but the words have held true for AGES and GENERATIONS all because of The Holy Trinity.  Truth and light will always be upheld because they are given to us from God…so of course the words and sentiment in hymns continue to hold true.  Chapel (church) morning and night…wasn’t really my thing.  It was meant for Sundays.  Prior to pilgrimage, I didn’t take into consideration that my quiet time with God and prayers to Jesus are everyday moments of chapel.  Yes, I was already doing that as a part of my daily routine and even in non-routine moments…but my mindset with it altered when I was educated through pilgrimage that everywhere I am is a holy place (chapel/church) because God never leaves me.  No wonder the song/hymn “How Great Thou Art” has been sung through worship to God since 1885!  Discussions seemed like “school”.  As I love learning and will always crave to be a life-long learner…some people are not.  This part may seem unappealing to you because I was under the impression this was a “retreat” not an educational curriculum.  However, let me offer you this perspective…the day you stop learning and growing…is the day you die.  You can choose to die within your subecosystems (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) if you choose to remain stagnant…but let me tell you…if you choose to be stagnant…you WILL create health issues.  I am in charts all day long and see how stress operates in the body.  Don’t let that be you, friends.  Don’t stop learning and growing…that’s how we get closer to God is learning about HIS TRUTH in a world of chaos, confusion, and lies.  This weekend may have started out rough and like “school” but I found myself surrounded by a group of amazing women at my table:  Kathy, Cris, Michelle, Theresa, Lindsay, and Katie.    Kathy served our table with snacks, drinks, and love (even when I was ornery and asked for salt and pepper - neither of which was needed for ANYTHING we were served at our tables - I was just being a brat -  LOL!!!  I love you, Kathy!!!  Thank you endlessly for your service!)  Katie is a beautiful young lady around my age that led the group wonderfully; her insight, intelligence, and leadership were very special to me.  Thank you for leading us all closer together not only through the amazing content of the speakers but also closer to Jesus…your faith is equal to your beauty and intelligence.  Cris was a woman around my age as well and her husband was actually at pilgrimage as well but in another group. Cris was full of wisdom and I could tell that Jesus had done some beautiful transformative works in her life.  One of the best things I got from Cris was “Don’t be a joy stealer.”  I often have problems accepting help from others or allowing others to serve me.  I have always been the caretaker and servant and I have to learn that sometimes others love caretaking and serving as well. There was something special about Cris speaking wisdom to me at the right time and place…just as God planned for us.  Thank you Cris for your vulnerability, charm, wisdom, and bravery; you’re a special woman and I am grateful for you!!!  Michelle is a cosmetologist like my mom.  Michelle’s humble heart for others had me tear up at times before we even knew each other.  She primarily works with the elderly now and goes into a home to take care of others by doing their hair.  The stories, wisdom, and empathy this gorgeous woman has is unprecedented.  Thank you for your love and sisterhood.  I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know Theresa too much due to illness that struck her but she is an elegant and knowledgeable sister in Christ and I am grateful to have had even a little time with her rather than no time with her at all.  Her loving husband was kind enough to pick her up after her illness struck.  And last but certainly not least…my sweet Lindsay girl.  This woman is lit with God’s light in such a beautifully unique way.  She lived in Tennessee and has the sweetest southern accent that seems like home after spending many of my childhood summers down in the mountainous Rogersville, TN.  Lindsay is an elegant, loving, and smart woman and I am pretty sure God took the streets of Heaven and made her human heart of gold somehow.  Sometimes in life you come across people and you feel overwhelmed with the privilege that you encountered them at all…let alone have the opportunity to maintain them in your life…this is one of those people for me.  My life wouldn’t be complete without Lindsay in it and I am not sure how I went 40 years without knowing her.  She is my sister and there’s nothing in the world that would or could ever change that. These were my “St. Mark” tablemates lead by Katie and Lindsay.  Katie and Lindsay would lead discussions after speeches were given by special presenters.    No two discussions were alike…and each speech that was given was just as wonderfully extraordinary as the child of God.  I found myself WANTING to take notes just as I do in church each Sunday.  Before I knew it, I had a whole page of notes for each discussion written on the back of my papers to not change the front of the bulleted points from the speakers.  I wanted the front of my pages as pristine as possible because they put a lot into these discussions and I wanted to remember the content of their speeches first before being able to flip over the page for what I added as I did my best to keep up.  With that being said, after each discussion our table did creative expressions to summarize the topic at hand.  Holy Spirit began to flood me on day 2 with poetry and I began writing a poem for our group as we discussed the speeches.  As I wrote, I had several verses at times and asked my group for help when I needed it and they were perfectly there for me.  To be honest, I wish I had more time to finish writing the poem at this time…but it will be coming soon.  I intended to have it done by the time I wrote this blog but I have run into a lot of unwelcome and unforeseen distractions this week…I don’t find this a coincidence seeing as this contributes to God’s kingdom.  I wish I could be honest here and take responsibility for these distractions but alas they have nothing to do with me…and seeing it from that perspective I just give it to God and do the best that I can do.  So, I will get the blog out and go back to day one to finish the poem as soon as possible and post it as a special blog which I will number 8.5…because why not? ;)  

The last day I was there, it felt like a right of passage and a graduation all in one.  I refuse to reveal anything about this day other than that out of deep respect for the amazing experience that was pilgrimage.  If you want to know what happens from the time you walk into pilgrimage to the time you walk out…first of all…I’d say come experience the beauty of it all for yourself…your whole world and perspective will be positively altered.  I would also say that I have a picture to describe how the pilgrimage went.  The Monday after “real life” began to sink in yet I still had pieces of pilgrimage with me and the girls at the St. Mark’s table began a text chat where a picture was sent from our last day together. Holy Spirit moved me to compare it to the  day 1 picture that was taken of us.  The day 1 picture…everyone primarily had physical space between them as if we were strangers (though I did notice that I had my arms around the girls surrounding me which was a testimony to myself as to my loving nature of people I don’t even know - this means my social anxiety has been lifted to a degree and that honestly speaks volumes because I struggled with that for far too long in my life).  The day 4 picture everyone was side hugging each other and instead of space between us we were framed together with plenty of “croppable” space around us.  I wanted to cry all over again.  The friendships that bloomed into family over a 4 day period…I never thought would be possible especially after all I had been through.  

A side story in all of this is…may take some of you back to blog #4 “Bee-ing a Holy Weirdo”.  If you haven’t read that one, I recommend it before going further.  At pilgrimage, I had connected with two special people; an exquisite couple Susan and Jim.  Susan is a pastor and Jim is a musician, he played piano for us on the worship team for pilgrimage. Jim will come into play at the end of this story but I want to truly thank the both of them for being phenomenal this weekend.  You two are beautifully unparalleled children of God.  Thank you for your service.  I had taken the time to bust out my ukulele on day 3 (Saturday) over a bagged lunch but somehow the dorm room got locked and I was locked out.  I had to go get Rich the maintenance guy to unlock it for me which is important because I had a dire need to get into it during my lunch.  Thank you Rich for your help and service this weekend!!!  So  I saw Kathy sitting by the overlook of the lake and I sat beside her and picked at my uke and ate in between playing.  Kathy eventually finished her lunch (I am a slow eater) and I sat and continued to pluck and eat.  I didn’t realize that when I turned to pluck and eat less that a bee or hornet wanted to hang out on my deli meat sandwich that was only 1/3rd gone at that point.  I didn’t suspect a bee or hornet to be ON the sandwich so naturally I just picked up the sandwich and took a bite.  My initial thought was, “I don’t remember anything spicy on this sandwich!” before feeling pain two other times in my mouth.  The first “spicy” sting was on my tongue, followed by a second near it, and then the last was the roof of my mouth.  Even though I spit the bee or hornet out…the stinger was loose in my mouth which is why I managed to get stung so many times.  Non-coincidentally enough my bestie, Amber, who was also on pilgrimage with me came up and I looked at her and said, “I need to go to my room…I just got stung by a bee in my mouth.  Would you please take care of my stuff? I am away?”  Graciously she agreed and even was kind enough to alert my mom that I had been stung.  Once again, instead of panicking…I prayed and went to my newly unlocked dorm room to get mouth wash and a mirror.  My tongue had swollen up, my face went numb, and quite frankly I was feeling weird.  I stepped out of my dorm room to get some medical help and thankfully my mom was there because Amber reached out to her.  She gave me lots of tylenol and ibuprofen before the AWESOME, intelligent, and caring pilgrimage medical staff arrived to help.  THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR LOVING ME.  They gave me plenty of benadryl (even at 2am) which they purposefully went to town to get me.  I cannot thank you guys enough for caring for me so much.  Initially they wanted me to sit back after being stung.  I would’ve missed out on worship and discussions but I was NOT going to let the enemy ruin the reason I was there at all…obedience…not convenience.  It would’ve been convenient for me to sit back and relax into “retreat” mode…I wasn’t ever there for a retreat…I was there for a treat from God.  I refused to sit back especially in the midst of Jim’s comedic lisp mimicking because for the remainder of that day…I had one heck of a lisp but thankfully it lessened the next day.  Not only did I carry on to discussions…but at worship time…I danced with others and have the pictures to back it up.  I find it no coincidence that I have had issues remembering all the years of music theory post the diagnosis of PTSD (if I haven’t said it before…I lettered in choir in high school and played flute from 3rd grade to 9th grade) and somehow I bust out my ukulele despite the dorm room being locked…and getting stung by a bee in the process of connecting with God via music.  The enemy was trying his hardest but God is greater than the enemy and the enemy has NO place in my life…Jesus has my back and at this point friends…I feel God has taken my allergy away from me.  Yet again, I didn’t have to use an epipen or go to the hospital…instead I worshiped and participated.

Thank you to EVERYONE who served MP75 (WOOOHOOOO!!!)…GLYASDI!!!

The following is a list of friends that I have and made that were so impactful to my time at pilgrimage:  Amberm (you know who you are)...my life wouldn’t be complete without you. You’re marvelous and perfectly made inside and out!   Sometimes I wish I had been braver at church and listened to Holy Spirit sooner so we had more time together…but honestly I let fear get the best of me…I let “solitude” get the best of me when I wasn’t being called to that constantly.  God had plans for us to be sisters and I adore every moment with you and learning about you.  Your heart and your faith are beautiful to me and I just know Abba is so proud of you.  Thank you for showing up in my life and loving me.  Amberk (you know who you are)...you are one of the coolest and most creative people I have ever met.  Your art and spirit are inspiring to me.  You light up a room with your stunning smile, cute spacebuns, and soulful personality.  Thank you for being your authentic self around me and being my friend.  I am blessed to know you.  Rebecca…you were right…our fire for The Lord is a match made in Heaven!  Your faith in Abba is contagious and I love watching you worship Yahweh and serve His kingdom.  Never have I ever seen someone work so hard to serve others and quite frankly it was inspiring to me after my bee sting.  You started out with a crutch due to an injury and by the weekend I saw you continue to serve others with a wrap.  Your strength is as magnificent as you are.  You are loved by me and I hope you carry out your calling…you know what I am talking about.  I will forever encourage you, sister.  Tami, you are special and I love you…I know this weekend was impactful for you and I hope it continues to be.  Your faith is an asset to God’s kingdom and I pray it continues to bring you the comfort and peace that you deserve.  You have a lot to offer this world so don’t allow the enemy to ruin the precious time you have here and now.  You have a calling and I pray it is revealed to you in a miraculous way because you deserve the best, sister.  Sandi…I don’t know how you got me to dance on the 3rd day but I find it no coincidence that Jesus rose on the 3rd day and I was dancing after being stung in my mouth.  Your faith is TRULY radiant and your beauty matches it perfectly just the way Abba wanted the rest of us to witness it.  You have such a fun spirit!!!  Thank you for all you have done for me and the community.  I look forward to wearing my MP75 (WOOOHOOOO!) shirt on Sunday for church. Anna…beautiful…gorgeous…stunning…Anna.  GLYASDI. Not only are you beautiful on the outside…your heart, compassion, and empathy for others is so overwhelmingly remarkable to me.  God has such a special plan for you and your life and maybe you don’t see it at times…maybe you do…regardless I know in my heart that you are a wonderful person and friend I would never want to miss out on in this life or in Heaven.  Thank you for being your sweet, charismatic, and loving self.  You show others Jesus in your life in an incredible way, thank you for your obedience and compassion for others.   Josh, God has massive love for you bro.  After all you have been through…I find it no coincidence that I work in Cardiology and we met this past weekend.  God’s love surrounds you and it shows in such a neat way with how you serve and love others just as Christ has loved us.  I think you may be an exception to the theory that pastor’s children are wild!  LOL!!!  Thanks for being my friend and I hope and pray your wife comes to pilgrimage next time around.  GLYASDI!!!  Pastor Pat…you inspired me in ways I could have only prayed for.  Your speech on sanctification was pivotal to my spirit and I appreciate your obedience and servanthood at pilgrimage.  I don’t know you very well but I hope for the opportunity to get to know you better because your faith is also beautiful to me and I know in my heart that you honor and bless Abba with your passion to serve Him and His kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven and others.  I appreciate you, value you, and love you so much.  To my stunning state trooper, thank you for loving me even when I am being a certified “sasshole”.  You always encourage, uplift, and sharpen me.  I am so grateful that you took the time and resources to make the wooden coins for pilgrimage weekend to pass out for this blog.  I had people asking me for more by the end of it and I wouldn’t have even been able to pass out one had it not been for you.  You have helped me get this out there because you know God’s miracles are vital to share with others.  Your faith and walk have been inspirational and so very pulchritudinous to me…thank you for sharing your life with me and thank you for being my person.  I will forever wake up grateful for having you in my life each day, to have each other's 6’s, to unconditionally and loyally love each other,  and to always say “GOOD” with you in the good, the bad, and the radiant.  I would also like to thank the rector of pilgrimage, Tammy.  Tammy, I wish I would’ve gotten more time to talk with you because your testimony had me in tears and I don’t cry easily.  It was like I felt WITH you just as Abba feels with us.  I will continue to pray for you and your family for as long as I have breath in my lungs.  You’re a special woman and I love you dearly.  Thank you for serving MP75 (WOOOHOOOO) fantastically.  Last but not least, I would like to thank my gorgeous mama for loving me and believing in me…I am so grateful you have been there to witness everything in my life pre-Jesus and post-Jesus.  This may sound messed up but I am going to write it anyways…if somehow no one else was ever able to have the opportunity to witness my pre-Jesus and post-Jesus transformation…I’d be okay with that (to be blunt…God did NOT intend it to be that way-just making that clear and sayin’!) but that woman I feel deserves to see my transformation because she has been so inspirational to me.  She has always shown me Jesus even when I didn’t want to see Jesus.  She has always reflected God…when I didn’t want to see his reflection.  She has always walked in Holy Spirit from before I was born…even when I chose not to.  Mom, I love you so much and I know we didn’t see each other at pilgrimage much but I hope you know my faith isn’t because of you…but you helped teach me about who God truly is, helped me get re-connected with Jesus, and were pivotal to understanding how to walk in obedience and surrender to Holy Spirit.  You’re an extraordinary mentor in my faith, sister in Christ, and mother.  I am so very grateful for you and I thank God that He gave me you as my mommy.  Thanks for loving me even when I ran from a city and church I wanted nothing to do with…you loved me even when I was “pulling a Jonah”.  Thanks for extending your hand and inviting me to where I was being called to be.  IOWA (Parethesis Rabbit Hole:  I was talking LONG before babies should be able to talk when I was a matter of months old and my mom would look at me and repeat, “I love you!” to me and I would mimic that with “IOWA” - so it’s been an inside joke/story we have bonded over my whole life.)

So the “pin” from earlier I am going to end with…the SUV I parked beside was Cris and her husband’s vehicle.  So the last day, she gave me so much to think about on the way home by reminding me to “not be a joy stealer” and let others caretake and serve me sometimes too.  Just because God gave me two arms and two legs doesn’t mean I have to make it harder on myself.  Everyone needs help sometimes and I know in my heart God was speaking through her that day so I find it no coincidence that I inadvertently parked beside her over pilgrimage weekend.  

I wish I could write more about pilgrimage but if you or someone you know is interested, I would be happy to connect you with the right people for further information because my lips are sealed beyond this.  I encourage EVERYONE to have this experience.  By the end of the weekend, not having my phone wasn’t so bad after all for the record.  I am not as attached to it as most people are to be honest so it wasn’t overly difficult (other than not having communication with a certain gorgeous state trooper whom I love and cherish).  Gratefully, he is also a man of faith and loyalty and understood the journey as a pilgrim that I was on.

Last but not least, I should inform you that EVERY pilgrimage has their personal theme…since July of this year I have been writing about miracles in my life and branching out to writing about miracles in others lives.  The theme created by Tammy the pilgrimage rector, long before I arrived at pilgrimage was “A Million Little Miracles”.  Coincidence?  You ought to know by now…divinely there are no coincidences.  If you don’t, I pray you discover what this means for you, your life, your calling, your choices, and the unconditional love Abba father offers us.  Jesus longs for a relationship with you and you deserve to walk in freedom with Holy Spirit.  

For God revealing himself in the “million little (and big) miracles” in my life and the lives of others…I am…

#Satisfied