And that for a while it "CALLED" him, and it was peaceful, and that he was under the "impression" he was DYING, and THEN, something, SOMEONE INTERVENED!!!! And said NO, GO BACK, and he was BACK--- in his hospital bed, looking like (I didn't tell him this at the time, but it's true) he "almost died"!!!!!
Guess what!!!!! He "almost" did!!!! But the bright light sent him back!!!
Thanks!!!! I like having him, and all my friends and family, around!!! It is something I have been amazingly blessed with, and it is something I feel incredibly BLESSED to have been so spared, in my own view, the extreme challenges life provides.
It brings me to REDEMPTION----
WE ALL FALL DOWN, man is quite imperfect, BUT we GET UP AGAIN
With Hope,and GRACE!!!!
We are human, so WE fall down!!!!!!
BUT WE get up again!!!!!
Thanksgiving----
My Thanksgiving-- THIS ONE!!! Is going to be quite different than the last 25 or so!!!!
I have spent them at a variety of houses (mine and others in the family!!), and its always a JOYOUS event, and my Mother-in-law plays the piano, and we ALL SING "The Impossible Dream"-- I need to look into WHY we sing this song more, to see if there is more to it than TRADITION--- but nothing wrong with tradition, if that's all it is!!!!
We have been singing it for as long as I've known my wife, and been part of "HER" family---- and now it's part of MY family tradition, except THIS year I'm a a few thousand miles away!!!
The Impossible Dream!!!!!!
To go into Hell for a Heavenly Cause!!!
To follow that QUEST--
To REACH, that UNREACHABLE STAR!!!!!
And it's from the play "The Man from La Mancha", and that's in SPAIN!!!!! So, if I'm missing Thanksgiving, at least it's TRUE to my TRADITION that I miss it in the land of Don Quixote!!!!!
CAN WE REACH that UNREACHABLE STAR????? Is it in Santiago de Compostela, St James in the 'field of the Stars'?
Is it simply the life we live where "I still haven't found what I'm looking for?". Forever????? And never FIND IT?
Or as Sugarland sings, there has GOT to be "SOMETHING MORE"
First off, if this lead singer from Sugarland had been singing in FRANCE, I THINK I'd hear her in on this side of SPAIN!!!!! She can crank it!!!
Something MORE!!!!!! Isn't that all it is!!!!
"Happiness is something WE CREATE!!!!
"Armaggedon could be knockin at my door, but I AIN't going to answer that's for SURE!!!"
Because there's GOT TO BE something MORE!!!--
And we MAKE MISTAKES, and WE FALL DOWN!!!!!
BUT, Redemption allows us the opportunity to RENEW, ReCommit, Re-Instill in our own lives our COMMITMENT to CREATE our HAPPINESS!!!!!!
To CREATE our 'Heaven' here on EARTH-----
Our Father, Who art in Heaven!!!!!!
Thy KINGDOM COME!!!!! On EARTH as it is in HEAVEN!!!!
BRING IT ON!! RIGHT HERE!!!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!
I'm in most respects the "same" guy who started this camino, MY CAMINO!!! But in so many ways I'm not "quite" the same----
-"i've been places, where I question all I think I know, and I believe, I believe, THIS could be HEAVEN!!!!!"
(Tracy Chapman)
Peace, Love, and Understanding!!!!!
We could, given it's attainable, CREATE HEAVEN here on Earth!!!!
And that, simply, is MY WISH for ALL of US this THANKSGIVING
I am so thankful, and won't quite know how to contain myself, as I approach Santiago!!!!
I am most thankful for MY family, provided and given to me as a gift by my wife, Liz--- that I have three incredibly vibrant, creative, unique individuals that I call "my kids" !!!!!!
I have gratitude, sitting here contemplating I'm walking to the FINALE of my FINALE---
St James awaiting my arrival---
It looks like I will be arriving with a few pilgrims-- Josh, Rebecca (the Aussie's), Scott (NZ), and Cara (Texas) and Pepe, although Pepe ran out of Spanish Gasoline and took a bus yesterday --- so he didn't get to experience the TWO RAINBOW's I saw--which means he also missed the HAIL!!!!! Size of the hail? I'd say for about one minute it was baseball sized!!! Then went to normal size hail-then just rain!! THE COMPLETE camino experience---
Cara!!!so Cara and I were walking and since she's going to Madrid I convinced her to go to the BRUCE show Sunday night in Madrid--she says, yeah, she'll do it because she really liked Bruce the last time she saw him, in Austin Texas--- and I say to Cara--"in Austin the time they had to reschedule the show because Clarence had the eye problem??"
Well, CARA and I were at the SAME BRUCE show in AUSTIN TEXAS a few years ago, and now we are finishing the CAMINO on the same day--how bout that for coincidence!!!!
So the ground will be very wet today, but as morning breaks it looks like there are some clouds, but also some clear sky.
And the albergue was warm, so a good night sleep.
And now, it's time to finish up and start walking--
This is really it---and this is all you will read about my finale's final stage-- because TODAY, in Santiago, is NOT for WORDS--
It's like the SOPRANO's, and I've got David Chase directing, and Tony's in the diner and there are 5 probable assasin's right there with him, and ZAP--it's OVER--no finish, or not the finish one was expecting!!! -i know, Sal, it's "dead to you"
Well, it won't be that dramatic here, but the end of my Camino won't be a "blog" event-- but all the messages, the notes, the forgiveness, "What IF?", prayer lists, Why not what?, The priest on the bike with the prayer (his name was JESUS, in case you forgot), Reflections, the JUICE, a treatise, or two, and even though it's "THE END", I still SEE MY LIGHT COME SHINING THROUGH,
And I know, sitting here ready to walk the last 20 kilometers, and remembering when I had 800 kms to go!!!!!
I know, one day, WE ALL ...SHALL ... BE...RELEASED!!!!!!!
Until then, until that LIGHT comes calling, I'm going to make it MY task to go find that "Something MORE, a Happiness being something WE CREATE", ;
to be able to wake up and say
NO MORE I STILL haven't found- U2!!!!!
"I HAVE FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!!!!!!!! And I'm going to try and find it AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN!!!!
With a little peace, love, and understanding, we CAN ATTAIN that goodness, that "ON EARTH as it is in HEAVEN"
It's all about our hearts, and what's in them-- when we meet the everyday man on the streets, the pilgrims on OUR Camino!!!!
I am hopeful you've enjoyed MY camino, and I'm "remembering" it all as I contemplate both the CONTENT and CONTEXT of My Camino---
I'm remembering sitting in that dorm room listening to that concert on that September night, 1978 (maybe a Tuesday, as I recall)--
And I'm thinking of ALL the things that have happened in my life from that moment to this one, a dorm room at Rutgers to an Albergue near Santiago, Spain with 8 bunk beds with four other people, and it's time to move on,
And I'm thinking that all those "things", life events, 3 kids, a woman who loves me after all this time, and all my adventures---a bunch of job's I've loved!!!! And all of the people, family, and friends that have INTERCOnNECTED to make it all so, and I'm concluding,
Right here, right now-
That's it's BEEN an IMPOSSIBLE DREAM--!!!!!!
And I've LIVED IT--!!!!!!!!
And I'm SO VERY VERY THANKFUL for the blessings that have been, and I'm looking forward to MY NEXT....
UNREACHABLE STAR!!!!!!!!!!
And wishing and praying for you to attain your's, on YOUR Camino, wherever it may take you.
Oh, and I've got JUST ONE MORE THING TO SAY!!!!!!!!
RAISE YOUR HANDS!!!!!!! ( Bruce, a live version, please)
Because Santa Claus is COMING to TOWN!!!! And this year Santa might just be a little thinner!!!!
Next "unreachable star", YOU'RE UP!!!!
BRING IT ON!!!!
Amen.
The END!!!!
Peace
TT
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