The Days Run Together

For Monday and Tuesday I will offer a combined blog entry. Monday night presented us with a choice between blogging and cracking crab. I guess, if you visited this site yesterday, you already know which choice won! I've been going for nearly two weeks now and the days and destinations are sort of running together. I'm constantly reflecting on the places already visited and the journeys that took me there . . . but I'm also anticipating future destinations and trying to work out the timing, places to stay, etc. I've never been very good at math, so I'm trying to leave the distances traveled in the hands of others and concentrating on the walking and praying. Thanks for your patience with me.

Here are some highlights from Monday, Day 13:

An Ideal Pedestrian Lane

(Thank You, Yachats!)

The Yachats River

One Final Look Back to Yachats

Near Gwynn Creek

Neptune Beach State Park

A Gift from St. Francis at Our Campsite

Sister Paula Setting a Fast Pace!

It has been a joy to have my older (and only) sister along for the past several days. Our conversations have made the time pass more quickly and, as is true in life, it's always good to have a companion along for the journey. When the artist Rembrandt painted the Road to Emmaus scene from the Scriptures, he depicted a husband and wife at table in their home. The Gospel account mentions only Cleopas and "another disciple." Rembrandt felt free to represent them as spouses and that interpretation is as good or better than any other. Paula has not only provided good company along the way, she has also inspired me to keep up with her pace. She is an experienced walker and has maintained, even for 13 miles, a pace near 3 miles per hour. That doesn't sound like much more than the 2.5 miles per hour that I have grown accustomed to, but it is noteworthy. Despite the photographic evidence above, she is not capable of 27 miles per hour, at least not for very long! If she were able to maintain that pace (and I could keep up), we'd be to California in short order. We were just having a little fun with the Yachats speed meter . . . .

The author Jim Forest, in The Road to Emmaus, uses the phrase "God-kissed moments." He uses it to refer to grace-filled experiences that often catch us by surprise. We've had a few of those in recent days. When I met Paula and her husband David at South Beach Park, we sat at a picnic table to eat a snack and chat. Within moments of sitting down, a wedding party, complete with tuxedos for the groom and groomsmen and a flowing white dress for the bride, came bounding out of the sand dunes! The nuptials had evidently just been shared on the ocean side of the dunes and it was rather comical to see the wedding party and guests taking their shoes off in the park and shaking all of the sand out.

Another God-kissed moment was when we encountered a dozen or so fishermen near Seal Rock. It's not a common sight to see fishermen casting their lines from the Oregon coastal shores, but there they were -- about a dozen of them. We asked one of them what they were fishing for and he said, "perch." He showed us his morning's catch (about ten perch were in the bag). When we asked if they would be for dinner, he said with a laugh, "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" There was a wonderful spirit among the people in the group and great cheers went up when one man reeled in two fish on the same line. I tried to imagine if great cheers went up when Jesus told Peter to cast his net off the other side of the boat, when he pulled in 153 fish at one time. I certainly hope great cheers went up, at least to give glory to God.

Yet another God-kissed moment was when we encountered dozens of seals at Bayshore, along the Alsea River. Paula told me that her Granddaughter Kadence had made a request before Grandma's trip to Oregon began. Kadence wanted her Grandma to bring back a penguin! Paula told me that she was going to show Kadence her photos of the seals and say, "Honey, if you'd only asked for a seal, I could have brought you one, look!" Our own Mom was a wonderful Grandmother and it is evident that Paula is very much following in her footsteps. As I mentioned, Paula is setting the pace for us these days. Her 20 minutes per mile is all the more impressive given that her previous longest distance walked was 7 miles; now she's doing up to 13 miles and, a few blisters aside, is proving to be pretty strong.

Be sure to look for those God-kissed moments in your own life: those revelations or epiphanies when God's grace breaks through. Perhaps they will come in comical moments, surprising events, or heartwarming stories of love within your family or among your friends.

Day 14 was a 12-mile trek from Strawberry Hill to just north of Sutton Lake, near Florence.

View from Strawberry Hill

Can Anyone Help Me

with the Name of this Flower?

North Fork of the Siuslaw River

Heceta Head Lighthouse

First View of Heceta Beach

Here are few words from Fr. John Kerns, a good friend and brother priest. He wrote these for this weekend's bulletin at St. Juan Diego Parish in Portland:

My friend, Fr. Mark Bachmeier, is between jobs and, at the same time, is between the Washington and California borders along Highway 101… on foot! He just completed his term as Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Eugene at the end of May. On July 1 he will become the Pastor of Holy Cross Parish in North Portland. Presently he is spending the month of June walking from St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Astoria all the way south to St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Brookings. 319 miles! He is spending time with those he meets along the way, praying for different groups of people, and raising awareness for 1st Way, a crisis pregnancy center in Eugene which offers counseling, health services for women, and alternatives to abortion.

Please pray for Fr. Mark’s safety on his pilgrimage. But also consider the pilgrimage of life that God has led you on. Whom do you encounter along the way? Who do you make it a point to pray for? What values do you commit yourself to and promote throughout your pilgrimage? Our Catholic tradition refers to the Church as a Pilgrim People, journeying through this life on our way to the fullness of life in heaven. It matters whom we meet, how we pray, and what we do along the way. May God bless you in your pilgrimage.

Your brother – and fellow pilgrim – in Christ, Fr. John

While it is true that the days are running together, the graces are running together, too! Thanks be to God.