It started raining three days ago…and hasn’t stopped yet….well, today it has stopped. We took a last minuete turn south as we were riding in straight rain for one very long day, deciding at the last minuete to take the short way home. We are now in the middle of figuring out our own route…wish us luck…
…we have stayed the past two nights at Mammoth Cave National Park and yesterday we spent five hours and five miles underground touring amazing caves with ancient rock formations. Long ago, billions of years ago, they were underground riverways, it was really cool. These computers are not letting us put on picutres, but here are some journal entries and thoughts of the past week
10/22/07: (written by ANthony)
TOnight we are staying in a log cabin next the the memorial park located at the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. It’s a nice place, no running water, but comfortable beds and rocking chairs on the porch.
Alexa and I rode here today from Bethany Springs Near Gethsamani. On Saturday we arrived at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani a little before 11:00. We had stayed in a campground in Bardstown the night before. Gethsemani was nice. It was different than we both expected and for me it felt a little odd being a tourist at a monastery. We toured the groudns and sat in for one of hte prayers, and then we moved on to Bethany Spring where had reserved a room for the night.
Bethany Spring was a fantastic experience. It is a reterat center that is run by the Thomas Merton Institute for Contemplative LIving. We were greeted by the resident there, Alida. She is a former nun of 51 years who had left her monastery about 4 years ago to take her spiritual life into the world. She was a fascinating woman. SHe showed us our room and let us know about the retreat that was in progress and then led us to ur room.
Alexa and I were going through the building a little while later, we met Kathy and Michael, two of the four retreatants there for hte weekend. They were very enthusiastic and welcoming and before we knew it, the retreat leader and director of the center, Jonathan Montaldo. He immediately made us feel very welcome and then invited us to eat with them. From then on we were spoiled and treated witht he highest kindness and generosity. Jonathan even invited us to stay the next night. The next afternoon there was a re-dedication of hte building which was attended by some of the monks and Abbot of Gethsemani. At dinner we met some very interesting peopl including Patrick, who was about our age and a brother of the Sacred Heart Order and was living and teaching in Saint Lous. We ended up talking with him for a couple of hours later that night about his own spiritual path, and ours.
This morning we had a beautiful farewell and I can’t say there have been many places where I have felt recieved with such opennes, love, and generosity.
I, Alexa, have to add to this entry.
Why did we want to go to Gethsemani? I studied Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, priest, and Mystic, in graduate school. I was fascinated with his writing, his life, and his social work. He was active in the 1960’s, speaking out against the Vietnam war, and wrote deeply of his connection with his Catholic Spirituality. He also was interested in Eastern Spirituality, and was a key player in helping to begin the bridge of understanding between western (mostly christian) and Eastern (mostly buddhist) religions. At the time of his death, he was on a tour in Asia, speaking with many different religious groups and leaders, including the Dalai Lama. When I studied Merton, I was immdiately drawn in to his lifestyle in his hermitage in Gethsemani and my whole reason for wanting to go to Gethsamani was to see his hermitage. When we got there, however, we found out that monks still do retreat there and the public may not tour the hermitage or the site. I was tipped off, however, on the way to get in and took a personal pilgramage to his hermitage site and it turned out to be a very important and powerful pilgramage for me that day. OUr time at Gethsemani and Bethany Springs was amazing and powerful, making us feel recharged and spiritually renewed. There was even talk about a young people’s conference East meets West…in the future. At the end of our stay, Jonathon told us not to pay. He said that we added so much to the weekend, and helped so much with the house blessing, that we should not worry about it. The generosity offered to us was outstanding. Not only that, but he shared his knowledge about THomas Merton with us all weekend long, the extent to his sharing just wouldn’t end. He said he hoped we would be back, and we rode away discussing not if, but when we would return. It was an amazing experience. Thank you Alida, and Jonathan and eveyone at Bethany Springs!
As I write this, I am remembering last weekend, and it helps make the memories of the past few days, the rain, the stuck-feeling, the uncertainty of the route home, seem unimportant. We have received so many blessings on this trip, we have come so far, and are filled with gratitude.
So as I type this blog, Anthony is using is expertise in putting together a safe route to Nashville, with an estimated arrival date of Saturday, and today it did not rain.
