Pilgrimage Into Soul

December 4, 2023

As a little boy, I made a regular pilgrimage into the woods with my dog Sparkle. I always visited two special places in the woods. The first was a natural spring and the second, an old lady’s home.

I trudged through the jungle to visit these places because they captivated me. I was mesmerized by the water gushing from the sandy soil to create a tranquil pool of clear water. Tadpoles and crawfish darted around the pool before several run-off creeks pulled them into their stream. I spent hours hunting crawfish, making dams and reflecting into that infinitely deep pool.

Mrs. Robertson, the elderly lady who owned these vast woods, lived in a beautiful house surrounded by grape vines. On the days I visited, we talked and ate ice cream on her sunporch while Sparkle waited for me. Mrs. Robertson liked me and showed me several things in her house that I’d never before seen.

She had a plastic altar beside her bed, a sculpture of Christ and all the disciples. Illuminated by bulbs inside, she flipped a switch to turn the shrine on. In her garden was a blue orb sitting atop a pedestal in the middle of a rose garden. She had cats that were as big as dogs.

Her adult son wore a Ramar of the Jungle hat and operated a ham radio as large as a refrigerator; each time I made the pilgrimage to the Robertson’s, he turned on the set and then, with earphones, I talked to people all over the globe.

The place was magical for me. It was my jungle and friends; I spoke little to my family about my other world.

I now know why I made the pilgrimage so regularly. My soul was nurtured there.

Inquiry: Have you had a soul place?

Dear God,

The unbelievable became believable. In these early holy pilgrimages, you nurtured my soul. Amen.

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