Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig!

After 20 days and 5651.9 miles, Rubi and I arrived home on October 12. During that time, we traveled through 16 states, and I preached the Sunday service from three different, auspicious locations. 

In my blog explaining what I was doing and why I said I would be curious about how I experienced my sense of place. Would preaching on the go feeling disorienting or centering? Would it really make a difference speaking from different locations? Would the All Souls community feel empowered by this exercise or would it be more of a bleh experience?

From my own perspective, the sense of place and how it related to the service theme was an immensely powerful experience. It is one thing to talk about how we are people of the covenant, but quite another to stand in front of the church where are religious forbears first pledged that covenant over 350 years ago.

It’s not unusual for me to speak about Black Lives Matter, racial inequity, and the need for us, as Unitarian Universalists, to make our voices heard and actions felt in the world; it’s quite a unique experience to speak to that in front of a giant shrine to Breonna Taylor, in Jefferson Square, Louisville, KY. That would have been powerful enough but was made even more so when Breonna’s mom, Tamika Palmer joined our Zoom worship to thank us for continuing to “say her name” and speak up for justice.

Speaking about the genocide and forced displacement of the indigenous nations took on more gravitas, when speaking from Tonkawa, OK, a town named after that tribe, forcibly removed from their native lands near Austin, TX via the Trail of Tears.

I heard from many of you that by my being in those different places, the service touched you in deeper and more meaningful ways than it might have, if I had just been sitting in my dining room, wearing my comfy slippers.

The other sense of place I was acutely aware of, was my living space. My 2017 Jeep Cherokee was a reliable companion, but it was short on space. When I first read the blog of the solo woman SUV RVer who inspired me to embark on this journey, I did not realize how much difference having a dog along would affect the perceived roominess of the vehicle. Still, Rubi and I soldiered on and survived.
I also learned by trial and error and would pack differently if we were heading out in the Jeep again. Now, however, I am the proud owner of a 2000 Toyota Sienna minivan donated by Mark Arnest. It is so much roomier.  I cannot wait to set out on the open road with Rubi and Wham! along for the ride.

I plan to hit the road again on Wednesday, October 28^th. This time I will be out for twice as long, crisscrossing the country for 7-8 Sundays before returning home for a holiday vacation. I’m not sure what else awaits us on this ministry Camino, but I do believe there is power is amplifying the voice and impact of All Souls so that we feel we are one with all people and all people are one with us.

And, I will feel your presence with me as I travel; your blessings and prayers, your well wishes, and generosity. Thank you for being on this journey with me.