The Ancient Way by River Jordan

Author:River Jordan [Jordan, River]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-5064-6046-8
Publisher: Broadleaf Books
Published: 2020-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

14

Pilgrims in Oban

James drove to Oban as fast as he dared, and we arrived at the city and reached the water in time to discover that it would still be two hours before we could buy a ticket on the ferry and line up our car on the dock. The bridge didn’t open until eight, but it closed soon after, so the timing called for travelers to buy a ticket and then sit and wait for two hours for the ferry to arrive.

In the meantime, James’s tire was still signaling that it was losing air. But we remained light-hearted with expectations that all would work out well. No one became testy or angry. No one had known that the ferry routes could change or be stopped completely. Why would a ferry be closed? That never happened. And our attitude on the way to Oban had been as cheerful as it had been earlier along the way. We were taking our obstacles in stride, and I, for one, knew that no pilgrimage was without obstacles.

Obstacles are just part of the process. I wish I could remember this for a multitude of things life throws my way on any given day. That I could apply it on days when troubles seem like flies I have to swat down left and right.

When I pulled back and looked at the preparation for this journey from the long view, I could see it was all one long pilgrimage to the holy land with, thankfully, times just for sitting in silence or for wandering without intent. There were actually times to live without deadlines and treasured moments on my porch on the hill.

I could change the rhythm of my days. They could follow a more monastic way of life. I could incorporate the lessons learned on my Iona journey and the Celtic Christian disciplines I had discovered into my daily living and weave them into a new way of life. Otherwise, what was all the worry and fuss to get here? God didn’t just intend for me to merely write a few words. God intended for the writing of the words to change me.

James parked the car, and Virginia noticed that there was a parking meter and put change in so we wouldn’t get a ticket. I found a bookstore, and we wandered and perused until we decided a meal would be in good order. I loved what I noticed as a natural ebb and flow of conversation, of the way Virginia and I had taken turns riding in the backseat without any discussion, just changing at odd stops along the way. I loved the way that we separated and wandered different aisles in the store and how, without any conversation, we all came together again at the front of the store and crossed the street to the restaurant for fish and chips. Naturally! If you ever go to the UK or to Scotland, people will tell you in every city and every pub that you must get the fish and chips.

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