Today was one of our longest travel days, beginning in Indiana; it included three Thomas Merton stops in Kentucky and our eventual arrival in Lexington, Virginia. We’ll be here for five days—at least.
We see Rachael tomorrow; tests will be done on Samwise in the office on Wednesday. He’s improved dramatically, but I still have questions and concerns. Thankfully, we’re fortunate to be in the right spot, with the right person, for the answers we need.
We can now stretch our legs, and I can sit down and write proper letters and posts. There’s an enormous backlog. You’ll be reading about our experiences, the authors’ graves we visited, and some incredible personalities for quite some time.
Our travel plans took an unexpected turn as we cut our trip short to ensure Samwise could see Rachael. This meant canceling or shortening our stays at various locations. Initially, we had intended to spend between two and seven days at each stop since leaving California. However, except for two nights in Bend, we’ve been on the move, staying only a single night at each place.
Now we can finally take a breath, relax, and I can dive into some storytelling.
There’s much to say about the author and monk Thomas Merton, but I will leave that for a later letter and more ambitious writing.
I’m sending you this video for the sublime peace I experienced at his grave at the Abbey of Gethsemani tonight. The church bells surprised me, but I loved hearing them mix with the birdsong.
Here’s hoping that the video will capture and convey some of the sublime peace I experienced at his grave at the Abbey of Gethsemani.
Post Script
Today's travel time was extended when we visited the Merton statue on the Bellarmine campus and found it covered in bird droppings.
Although Merton loved birds, I'm sure he wouldn't have appreciated being covered in bird shit. So, I spent 30 minutes cleaning his bald head, face, and robes. It was a fine Sunday morning exercise, and it brought me joy.
This is the final post open to all readers this month. Paying subscribers will continue receiving regular letters, but free readers will next hear from us in May. My birthday sale of 15% off annual subscriptions ends at midnight. I won’t keep any money from new subscribers or gift subscriptions. All will go toward animal rescue organizations.
