I am a motorcoach…
. . . a pilgrim enabler, a pilgrimage assistant. Pilgrimage is a peculiar kind of travel. There’s a drivenness to it, a compelling “must” in the motivation. For some travelers it is a journey of spiritual fulfillment. For others, the quest might be a connection with nature, or a genealogical, geographical, or historical touchstone. And for many, all of these beckonings are in play all the time, so that travel itself is the continual must and satisfaction of pilgrimage.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
In Holland, Michigan there are tulip fields. Every year they draw visitors from far and wide, as if to see spring’s arrival with their own eyes, welcome it in person. They enjoy a distinctly Dutch reception.
State Capitols are the pilgrimage targets of fourth and fifth graders, who, escorted by teachers, take their education on state history to the road for long anticipated field trips. Here, I am last in a line of motorcoaches delivering young students to the Missouri state capitol building in Jefferson City.
Cruising the “city that never sleeps,” international party pilgrimage magnet.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
NEWS IN A NAME: Even viewed from a distance (i.e.: the tip of Long Island, NY) the Statue of Liberty touches an innate sentiment. Maybe her proper name (a name that is news to most of her visitors), “Liberty Enlightening the World,” speaks to the sentiment. She is an international symbol of the pilgrim’s welcome: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . .”
NEWS IN REMEMBRANCE: In New York City, where twin sky scrapers bellowed black on a dark September morning in 2001, the Freedom Tower now stands tall and stately. Around it and the 911 memorial complex is a constant interchanging of onlookers, silent in remembrance of getting the news . . . seeing the news . . .
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)
Not far from Freedom tower another popular pilgrimage concludes in silence: praying where George Washington prayed. On April 30, 1789, after taking his oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street, the newly inaugurated first President of the United States walked to St. Paul’s Chapel to dedicate the nation to God in prayer. Today, many make their way to St. Paul’s Chapel to follow in his footsteps.
(Next week we head west for some other well-known pilgrimage locations)
Quote Of The Day samples
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ― Saint Augustine
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.” ― Ibn Battuta
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It seems that being a motor-coach is a supreme pilgrimage!