Not a tourist

It was a distinction I made early on -

when my travel agent asked if I wanted more days in Paris,

at the start of the trip,

to sightsee
and adjust to the time difference.

It became clearer to me then.

No, I'm not going overseas this time as a tourist;

this truly is about being a pilgrim.

Pilgrimage in its truest sense 

is religiously motivated travel 

for the purpose of meeting and experiencing God, 

with hopes of being shaped and changed 

by that encounter.

I understand
 that you can meet God any and every where;

(although it may be more accurate to say

I believe God can find YOU anywhere).

For me, He's not found
only in certain places
or in certain forms.

And, while I will be seeing
 cities, churches, villages
and gorgeous vistas,
it's the journey itself that's the main event.

I can't remember who wrote:
Pilgrimage, after all, has no function other than itself; 

its means is as important as its end, 

it's process as its product. 

Its utility value is small, 

Its value intrinsic. 

It is something that is good to do 

because it is good to do. 

It states clearly that the extravagant gesture 

(because it is extravagant in terms of time and commitment) 

is an irrepressible part of what it means to be human 

and to walk on the earth. 

12 days and counting down...
before I join the millions of pilgrims
who have gone before.