The Gleanings Project: I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago

“Contemplating Sand and Sea” DS

Kerkeling, Hape. Trans. Shelley Frisch. I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2006.

(Map of the Camino trail from Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port, France along the North of Spain to the coast and Santiago de Compostela where the grave of Saint James, the great missionary of the Iberian people is located.)

499 words

“The Camino poses a single question to each of us: ‘Who are you?’”

“My friend Isabel had only this to say: ‘Have you lost your mind?’ I decided to go on a pilgrimage.” 

“I could be lying on my favorite red couch right now, comfortably sipping a hot chocolate and savoring a luscious piece of cheesecake, but instead I’m shivering I some café at the foot of the Pyrenees . . . (Kerkeling, 1)

“Just thinking about the long trek makes me want to take a long nap. And here’s the amazing part! I will hike it! At home I don’t even take the stairs to the second floor, yet starting  tomorrow I’ll have to cover between 12 and 18 miles a day to reach my destination in about 15 days.” (2)

“My guidebook . . . [says] for centuries, people have undertaken the journey to Saint James when they have no other way of going on with their lives –– figuratively or literally. Since I have just dealt with sudden hearing loss and surgery to remove my gall bladder –– two ailments that are perfectly suited to a comedian ­­–– it’s high time for me to readjust my own thinking.” (3)

“According to legend, the Santiago trail was used by Celts in pre-Christian times as a path of initiation. Veins of electromagnetic power in the earths and lines of energy (called ley lines) are said to be aligned with the Milky Way along the entire trail, all the way to Santiago de Compostela (which means ‘field of stars’) . . . The Catholic Church kindheartedly forgives the sins of people who complete a pilgrimage to Santiago. But that’s not my primary incentive, I’m drawn to the idea that the pilgrimage will help me find my way to God and thus to myself.” (4)

In my oxygen-deprived French cell last night, I got three hours of sleep . . . If there is a God, at least He has a sense of humor . . .” (11)

“On a beautiful path running along the mountain range, I see twelve enormous birds of prey circling right over me.” (22)

“But I’m also a bit grouchy today, which I attribute to the pains in my knee, and I feel a bit lonesome. Naturally I could call home, but if I do that, I’m likely to end the journey on the spot.” (31)

“I blathered my endless supply of sketches onto a cassette and . . . decided that it would be best to provide background for the sketches. Four weeks later, I received an invitation for two to broadcast in Berlin. “ (33)

“Her bright red freckled skin tells me she hast to be British.” (55)

“The sensation of being on my last legs is fast becoming a form of meditation.” (127)

“It is much easier to walk the Camino with a friend.” (257)

“The church bells are ringing. Sweaty as we are, we run from the office straight into the mass.” (326)

And bonus quote: “ The Creator tosses us into the air and then, to our happy amazement, catches us again just at the right moment. It is like the spirited game parents play with their children.” (332)

I just found out we have our own ‘Camino’ in Canada, the Island Walk in PEI:

https://everythingzoomer.com/travel/2023/12/18/walking-canadas-camino-a-cancer-survivor-tackles-the-island-walk/?utm_source=EZ+Newsletters&utm_campaign=9501329ed3-ZoomerWellness_12_18_2023&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ae5042faed-0cf0338cb2-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=9501329ed3&mc_eid=52f6f5b1bf

. . .

The Gleanings Project: Scripture, Ethics & The Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships

“Gardens at Ceperley House, Burnaby Art Gallery” Phone Photo, DS

In my youth I avidly read each book required by courses. I joined into class discussion, my hand always in the air. Debates fascinated. Once upon a time, in a flurry of defences, I argued against free will. When I listened, I became convinced of the other side, for a lifetime. Mrs. Krueger was the freedom fighter. I wonder now at her background. Were her arguments from experience?

I was more to be found on the dance floor than at the library door. I married young and had my children. It was then, in the hours after bedtime, and during naps, that I read as if my life depended on it. The first tome was Gone With the Wind. I began university and was interrupted by life many times. This became my pattern. 

The Gleanings Project will be part of one of those interruptions. I will glean books for glimpses of knowledge and wisdom, fun and study, using fewer than 500 words (with a few exceptions). Later, I will get down to serious work again. Thank you for being companions on the way. Your likes and comments are awesome.

 

Keen, Karen R. Scripture, Ethics & The Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships. Grand 

Rapids: Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.

 

658 Words

 

The evangelical world is facing increasing tension as leaders like Hatmaker express affirmation of same-sex relationships . . . so what is causing some Christians to switch sides in the debate? (Keen, ix)

 

I had resigned myself to a celibate life and focused on serving in ministry . . . Then something happened . . . The more I dug into the Bible . . . gnawing sense that my previous conclusions were incomplete. New questions arose that I had not considered before . . .  false stereotypes . . . As our knowledge of human sexuality and sexual orientation increases, I suspect we will continue to grow in our pastoral response . . . explore the inspired authors’ intended meaning . . .  (x)

 

In what ways does the Bible inform our ethical practices? . . . explore the biblical authors themselves to see how they interpret . . . implications . . .  life-giving . . . (xi)

 

The trend of treating same-sex attraction as a spiritual or medical disorder continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. (2)

 

Same-sex attraction cannot be simplistically characterized . . . C.S. Lewis in a letter to a friend, suggested gay people have a lifelong condition and declined to offer a spiritual explanation for causation . . . he suggested that gay people can find a redemptive purpose in their lot . . . The disciples were not told why (in terms of efficient cause) the man was born blind (Jn IX 1-3): only the final cause, that the works of God should be made manifest in him . . . Lewis was before his time, and it would be many years before the church at large caught up with him . . . others were rethinking the issue. Notably, gay and lesbian people themselves began challenging both ancient and modern theories of disorder; testifying that their lives did not match prevailing negative assumptions . . . 1969 Stonewall rioters launched a visible fight for dignity and fair treatment. Shortly thereafter, in 1972, the United Church of Christ began ordaining gay and lesbian pastors, the first mainline denomination to do so. (3)

 

Religious Right organizations . . . psychological theory that same-sex attraction was environmentally caused . . . In response, churches became more supportive of efforts to heal or cure gay or lesbian people rather than criminalize them . . . Gay people are admirable saints called to a celibate life. (8)

 

The 2000’s brought another significant shift in the conservative church’s response . . . awareness that sexual orientation change is unlikely for many. Like previous shifts, this was brought about by the stories of gay people, namely, young Christians whose testimonies differed from classic ex-gays . . . These young Christians often reported growing up in loving homes and had no history of destructive behavior. They remained devoted to God and committed to chastity. (9)

 

Celibate gay Christians who lend their voices to this movement include Wesley Hill [Regent College] . . . [and] gay members married to people of the opposite sex who are straight . . . This movement has made significant contributions to theologies of friendship and community . . . held up as examples of how to live a self-sacrificial life . . . Currently, the conservative church finds itself with a palette of options. (11)

 

Gay-affirming evangelicals have gained traction through the support of biblical scholars who are providing new arguments rooted in traditionally accepted hermeneutics . . . now an in-house [debate] . . . (13)

 

If historical trends continue, whatever paradigm shifts occur in the future will likely flow from gay and lesbian Christians truthfully testifying about their lived reality. (14)

 

The biblical authors do not write about the morality of consensual same-sex relationships as we know them today . . . The current debate on same-sex relationships centers on anatomical (or bodily) complementarity, including the role of procreation. (20)

The Gleanings Project: Places of the Heart

“Stanley Park from Ambleside” Phone Photo, DS

Ellard, Colin. Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life. New York, NY:  Bellevue Library Press, 2015.

477 words

“Regardless of what can be known about the thinking that lay behind the careful construction of Goebekli Tepe, six thousand years before the invention of the written word, one thing is clear –– what happened there may represent the very beginning of what has now become a defining characteristic, perhaps the defining characteristic of humanity: we build to change perceptions, and to influence thoughts and feelings; by these means, we attempt to organize human activity, exert power, and in many cases, to make money. We see examples of this everywhere, scattered through the length and breadth of human history.” (Ellard, 15)

“Breathtaking natural phenomena like an inky starlit sky or the depths of the Grand Canyon, or a human-built artifact like a cathedral ceiling, can exert measurable influence on our feelings about ourselves, how we treat others, and even our perceptions of the passage of time.” 

“When we visit a shopping mall or a department store . . . we find ourselves entering almost a hypnotic state with lowered defenses, diminished reserve, and a heightened inclination to spend money on something we don’t need. . .  by careful design.” 

“A walk through a busy, urban street market teeming with colorful wares, the delicious aroma of food, and a hubbub of human activity . . . can cause our moods to soar.” (16)

“The areas of our brain that process feelings are widely distributed . . . It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such findings for our overall understanding of how the brain produces adaptive behavior . . . “ (19)

“Walls reinforce or perhaps even create social conventions and cultural norms. The invention of dedicated sleeping spaces in homes changed our views about sexuality. The design of traditional Muslim homes and even of streetscapes reified beliefs about gender and generational divisions.” (25)

“Despite our modern state of detachment from the conditions that originally shaped us, most of us still crave contact with nature . . . We are innately attracted to elements of places that for our forebears might have made the difference between life and death . . . When we visit new cities, we naturally gravitate toward whatever verdant squares and gardens may be on offer. “ (30)

“Our preferences for the appearance and arrangement of trees takes us one step beyond simple spatial consideration and into the realm of color, texture, and form.” (36)

“One can see the hallmarks of these preferences in almost every aspect of our behavior, from where we choose to walk and sit, what we like to look at, and how we try to arrange our lives, alternating as much as possible between powerful forces of technologies that shape our attention and the restorative effects of natural settings . . . More than any other single factor, our cravings for nature underlie the psycho-geographic structure of our lives.” (51)

Even visiting gardens virtually can have powerful effects. Here is one where I recently explored the blue poppies online at Reford Gardens in Quebec:

Historic Gardens

Blue Poppies

. . . 

The Gleanings Project: The Call of Stories

“Upstairs Cafe at Art School” Phone Photo, DS

Coles, Robert. The Call of Stories. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.

487 words

“As I have continued to do psychiatric work with children, I have gradually realized that my teaching has helped that work along –– by reminding me how complex, ironic, ambiguous, and fateful this life can be, and that the conceptual categories I learned in psychiatry, in psychoanalysis, in social science seminars, are not the only means by which one might view the world.” (Coles, xvii)

“The conversations have been about certain books which I use and use in various courses . . . a collective exploration of the personal responses . . . suggestive power . . .” (xviii)

“Concentrate on understanding her, not on trying to change her behavior.” (9)

“I wanted to hear more about her, not about the ‘symptoms.” (10)

“I allowed the patient’s ‘agenda’ to take over . . .” (13)

“As active listeners, we give shape to what we hear, make over their stories into something of our own.” (19)

“Why not let her story keep unfolding . . . “ (20)

“Few would deny that we all have stories in us which are a compelling part of our psychological and ideological make-up.” (24)

He ended with a plea for ‘more stories, less theory’.” (27)

“Their story, yours, mine, –– it’s what we all carry with us on this on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them. “ (30)

“It’s sad the way people get lost when they run up against other people.” (42)

“She was able to announce, at one point, that Pride and Prejudice offered parallels of sorts to the circumstances in her high school.” (43)

“Sometimes, it’s those ‘down’ moments when you do your best thinking.” (49)

“There are worse words than cuss words, there are words that hurt.” (51)

“Her stories worked their way into the everyday life reality of their young lives: watching their mothers iron, and thinking of a story; watching a certain heavy drinking friend, relative, neighbor, and thinking of a story, watching children in church, and themselves in school, and thinking of a story.” (57)

“You feel ashamed of yourself for those ideas, until you get to realize that lots and lots of people (maybe everyone) has them –– at least sometimes.” (59)

“With a novel . . . [if] you take things slowly, and get your head connected to what you are reading then (how do I say it?) the story becomes ours. No I don’t mean ‘your story’; I mean you have imagined what those people look like, and how they speak the words in the book, and how they move around, and so you and the writer are in cahoots . . . feel his isolation, his bad luck, and react with anger at the wrongs done him.” (64)

“Some novelists, of course, are forthrightly concerned with ethical reflection.” (82)

“The stories are emotionally powerful and have a strong effect on the students.” (89)

“We got together weekly from then on.” (93)