#So(ul)journ!

“Silence!” I suppose that you should come prepared when entering a place where you experience electronic and communication silence. Jacki and I have taken cruises for that very reason. When you board the ship, and it leaves port, fading into the distance, you’re suddenly surrounded by water. Your cell service drops away, and nobody can get ahold of you. We take these journeys specifically to get away. But you prepare yourself for the time away. Anticipate it. I’ve even participated in ‘silent retreats’—time spent apart. Once, with a spiritual director at Bon Secours named Sister Joan, when I arrived, she asked if I had brought any books with me. I said I did. To which she said, “Don't read them.” Instead, I was told to sleep when I was tired, go for a walk if I wanted to—there were no expectations placed upon me, which was very welcoming at the time. I was participating with a novice nun who wasn't very good at staying silent, often greeting me and start...

“ Everything happens for a reason!” “This was not the way I thought today was going to play out,” I whinged. Wesley’s response to my complaint came pretty quickly: “Everything happens for a reason. I'd rather you guys fly in better weather anyway.” When did he get so wise? The airport was getting hit with storms, and our flight delays kept getting later and later until, finally, they gave up on the flight and informed us that our flight would now leave the next morning at 11 a.m. That one thing going wrong caused a cascade of anxiety, but in the end, it all worked out. I originally booked a hotel in Laramie, Wyoming, to cut a couple of hours off our drive to Grand Teton National Park. When I called to cancel our reservation, they informed me that they wouldn’t charge me for the cancellation. Thanks, Motel 8! As the delays continued, it soon became apparent we wouldn’t make it, so Wes had to book a hotel. We initially planned to join him, but Wes ended up staying there, ...

“ Not all those who wander are lost”   J.R.R. Tolkien Day 2: Visiting the Ancestors There are nearly a hundred cemeteries in Noble County, Ohio, according to a genealogical trails website, and the cemetery I was looking for wasn't listed among them, which made me question my source. “Did you find the cemetery last night?” Jack had fallen asleep before I finished my search. “Do you know where we are going today?” “Well, I think so… I mean… I kept looking online last evening and one site gave coordinates, but they seem to be in the middle of nowhere.” I was using Findagrave.com, which is pretty amazing for searching for ancestral burial places. According to them, Hamilton Stranathan (1806-1880) was buried in Nicholson Cemetery, which is sometimes called Graham Cemetery. And there is a Nicholson Cemetery in Old Sarahsville Cemetery where Civil War dead are buried, but that's not my family’s Nicholson Cemetery, which is in Buffalo Township. It's so confusing! “So, w...