On Sept 4, we fly to Spain and will spend 18 days touring, visiting Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona. (Because I didn’t marry until I was 47, I often traveled on my own and sometimes found it very lonely. Exploring the world with John is a source of great delight for me, a chance to savor the blessing of having a life partner. We will celebrate our 10th anniversary on Sept 7.) On Sept 23, John will return to the US.
From Sept 24 to Nov 4, I will walk the 500-mile Camino Frances, from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago, Spain. (This is the heart of my sabbatical—walking as a pilgrim on this ancient route with God as my companion. I know from traveling in the Holy Land what it feels like to encounter God viscerally on a holy path so many others have also trod. I anticipate the same on the Camino. We need sustained time together, God and I, for me to work on repairing my side of our relationship, which (embarrassingly often) gets short shrift in my busy working days. Walking the Camino will give me time for confession and repentance; time for seeking, finding, and rejoicing in God’s presence everywhere; time for rebuilding my trust in God’s love for me; and time for holy listening.)
From Nov 8 to 16, John and I will drive south, visiting sites on the US Civil Rights trail: the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, NC; the Birmingham, AL Civil Rights Institute; The Legacy Museum, Rosa Parks Museum, Freedom Rides Museum, and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL (where we will also worship at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church); and the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute and Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. (Despite years of anti-racism training and leadership, I am acutely aware that I still have much inner work to do to combat racism within myself and within our society. This part of my sabbatical will equip and inspire me for that challenging task.)
From Nov 17 to 21 I’ll be on retreat at a retreat center near San Antonio, TX.
From Nov 22 to 27, John and I will be with dear friends in San Antonio. We fly home Nov 28, and the sabbatical ends on Nov 30.
St. Andrew's Sabbatical Prayer
Holy God, we are so grateful for the gift of sabbatical and for these three months of spiritual pilgrimage. Just as you walked alongside your disciples in the Holy Land, please walk with us and with Anne. Open our eyes and ears and hearts that we may encounter you anew along the Way. May our sabbatical and Anne’s be a season of refreshment and renewal, new understandings and deepened faith. Amen.
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