It is hard to believe that we were in Delhi just 72 hours ago. I suspect returning to family and friends, church and work will be a process rather than an event for many in our group. Consolidating the emotions, events and energy surrounding this experience may take more than a few days and I hope I will recognize the face of Christ in my sisters and brothers here in Minnesota. I am at home today, trying to allow myself some time to process without the pressure of picking up responsibilities outside of my own basic care and feeding needs. It feels like our "time travel" may have changed more than just the clock and the weight of my luggage. It seems as if I left some old parts of myself in India and returned with some new pieces for which no spaces yet exist to fit them comfortably within me. Today only two things seem clear to me: There is nothing within us or outside of us unknown to or unusable by God AND that am not the same person who left Fargo on November 2, 2012. I am deeply grateful for everything that I experienced along with my fellow pilgrims, for all those who prayed for us and supported this journey in a myriad of other ways. I am looking ahead to some words posted on my office wall that will welcome me back to work tomorrow:
"EXHALE"
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tzu
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places" Ernest Hemingway
"You cannot solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it" Albert Einstein
"Not everything that is faced can be changed... but nothing can be changed until it is faced" James Baldwin
"Memo: Do not feel personally, totally, irrevocably responsible for everything. That's MY job. Love, God".
I am both a woman and mother, a wife and social worker; I am neither a theologian nor clergy, yet I can still strive in any those roles to be in the world as a "good enough" Lutheran Christian in Minnesota and India. We are all free to pray, bless, partner and accompany one another on this ongoing journey of faith, because we can and not because we need to prove that any of us are worthy enough to do so. I suppose this journey has never been about being perfect partners or perfect Christians, even as I struggle to remember that in my daily life and work. As I contemplate ways to make meaning of my pilgrimage experiences, I am grateful to God for compassion and mercy, pray for all of God's children throughout the world, wherever we may live and however we may come to know God's abundant love, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God.
Peace and love from Fergus Falls,
Laura Skogen, Bethlehem Lutheran Church
"EXHALE"
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tzu
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places" Ernest Hemingway
"You cannot solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it" Albert Einstein
"Not everything that is faced can be changed... but nothing can be changed until it is faced" James Baldwin
"Memo: Do not feel personally, totally, irrevocably responsible for everything. That's MY job. Love, God".
I am both a woman and mother, a wife and social worker; I am neither a theologian nor clergy, yet I can still strive in any those roles to be in the world as a "good enough" Lutheran Christian in Minnesota and India. We are all free to pray, bless, partner and accompany one another on this ongoing journey of faith, because we can and not because we need to prove that any of us are worthy enough to do so. I suppose this journey has never been about being perfect partners or perfect Christians, even as I struggle to remember that in my daily life and work. As I contemplate ways to make meaning of my pilgrimage experiences, I am grateful to God for compassion and mercy, pray for all of God's children throughout the world, wherever we may live and however we may come to know God's abundant love, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God.
Peace and love from Fergus Falls,
Laura Skogen, Bethlehem Lutheran Church
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