Bluegrass Brigid on Iona
WHAT BENNIE'S BEEN DOING: WEEKS 5-6 (Scotland/England, Ireland & France!)
PART 1: IONA
Wow! What a whirlwind tour it has been since my husband, David, joined me in Glasgow, Scotland on September 23. In just under 2 weeks we traveled through 4 countries and 10 cities! (Glasgow & Edinburgh, Scotland; Holy Island & Alnwick, England; Dublin, Kildare, Limerick & Doolin, Ireland; Paris & Clermont-Ferrand, France)
So, first, I want to begin with an apology for the delay in communication since my last post on Sunday, September 16. There was no time to write during my Iona pilgrimage September 15-22. And, when I met up with David in Glasgow, we literally hit the ground running and didn't stop until we got to Paris a few days ago (and that being only a brief pause in the marathon!)
Also, it seems there is some problem in getting things to appear on our church website in the same format as I write them in real time. At this point, I am ready to set up a personal blog website and just be disciplined enough not to read any comments until I return to work on December 2... as well as trust that everyone will understand why I am not responding to comments. The nice thing about that is that you will have the opportunity to comment in real time. And, I will get to enjoy re-living this wonderful journey all over again when I re-enter the real world ;) (It will also save time for Lizzie and Melissa so they don't have to copy and paste my stuff onto the website.)
So, with some help from David, we have set up a blog website entitled "Bluegrass Brigid"... in honor of both my Kentucky roots and the spiritual inspiration of Saint Brigid :)
Speaking of Saint Brigid, I want to begin with a brief summary of my spiritual pilgrimage week on Iona with John Philip Newell. In short, "OMG" - meaning "Oh my goodness, what a week!" I will write about it in detail when I return to Kentucky. For now, just know that my heart, mind, body and soul are full of the presence of God... and, so full of peace, love, joy and hope for humanity, faith, and the future of our world!
I also enjoyed a powerful, enriching "soul conversation" with John Philip Newell after the pilgrimage concluded on Saturday. More about that when time allows... but, again, thank you, thank you, thank you for making such an enriching spiritual experience possible through this sabbatical gift!
PART 1: IONA
Wow! What a whirlwind tour it has been since my husband, David, joined me in Glasgow, Scotland on September 23. In just under 2 weeks we traveled through 4 countries and 10 cities! (Glasgow & Edinburgh, Scotland; Holy Island & Alnwick, England; Dublin, Kildare, Limerick & Doolin, Ireland; Paris & Clermont-Ferrand, France)
So, first, I want to begin with an apology for the delay in communication since my last post on Sunday, September 16. There was no time to write during my Iona pilgrimage September 15-22. And, when I met up with David in Glasgow, we literally hit the ground running and didn't stop until we got to Paris a few days ago (and that being only a brief pause in the marathon!)
Also, it seems there is some problem in getting things to appear on our church website in the same format as I write them in real time. At this point, I am ready to set up a personal blog website and just be disciplined enough not to read any comments until I return to work on December 2... as well as trust that everyone will understand why I am not responding to comments. The nice thing about that is that you will have the opportunity to comment in real time. And, I will get to enjoy re-living this wonderful journey all over again when I re-enter the real world ;) (It will also save time for Lizzie and Melissa so they don't have to copy and paste my stuff onto the website.)
So, with some help from David, we have set up a blog website entitled "Bluegrass Brigid"... in honor of both my Kentucky roots and the spiritual inspiration of Saint Brigid :)
Speaking of Saint Brigid, I want to begin with a brief summary of my spiritual pilgrimage week on Iona with John Philip Newell. In short, "OMG" - meaning "Oh my goodness, what a week!" I will write about it in detail when I return to Kentucky. For now, just know that my heart, mind, body and soul are full of the presence of God... and, so full of peace, love, joy and hope for humanity, faith, and the future of our world!
Here are some highlights through pictures...
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| Iona Abbey |
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| Ancient Convent Ruins |
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| North Beach when the sun finally decided to shine! |
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| Amazing Rocks, St. Columba's Bay |
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| Day Trip to Fingal's Cave |
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| Selfie @ Fingal's Cave |
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| Me dunking my head in St. Brigid's Well of Eternal Youth |
I also enjoyed a powerful, enriching "soul conversation" with John Philip Newell after the pilgrimage concluded on Saturday. More about that when time allows... but, again, thank you, thank you, thank you for making such an enriching spiritual experience possible through this sabbatical gift!