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Mending Fences
I had the great good fortune of spending a couple of days with Phil and one of our conversations seemed not only a good subject for a blog post, but it just seemed oh so Felipe, as well! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Phil explained to me that when you BUILD a fence, you take great care in making sure everything is just perfect, making sure the lines are straight, the size is always the same, and that the measurements are exact. It creates not just a strong fence, but a beautiful one.
Over time, a fence breaks down a bit, and then it is time to REPAIR the fence. In a repair, you do your best to line everything up as carefully as before, but you know that time and sun and wind and weather has taken its toll and you probably won’t ever get those perfectly straight lines again, but you do the best you can.
After some more time goes by, there is more decline, and you probably have to address it again. This is the time that you MEND the fence. You have probably given up on the idea that it will look halfway decent, and that there will be any real beauty to your repair. You just want to get it to hang on a little longer, no matter what it looks like, or how cockeyed it may be. There is an acceptance that time is marching on, that forces greater than ourselves are at work, and that we are merely doing our best even though we know that the sun and wind and weather – Mother Nature herself – will have the final word. It doesn’t have to mean defeat, just an acknowledgement of our place in this universe. The part we have played, the beautiful fence we created, has been enough whether it stands straight or not. We have been in the game. We have played our part. We recognize that this too shall pass but our work has not been in vain.
Perhaps the reason I keep thinking about this is that it takes the rage out of things. If we accept where we are, what phase of fence-building or of life we are in, we can find the beauty. Phil is always finding the beauty. I hope we can too, my pilgrim friends. That is one of our specialties as pilgrims, isn’t it? We can find the beauty even when our feet hurt. We can find the beauty even when we have lost our way. We can find the beauty even when others may have walked on. Find the beauty in every step.
You were all much on my heart as I visited Felipe this week. I hope you felt that you had been brought along as we walked and talked.
Sending find-the-beauty loves.
-Annie
Thank you, Annie!
My pleasure! Aren’t we all lucky we have this blog – and Felipe – to rally around!?!
Love that you brought up this great lesson at this point, Annie!
So good that you were there on behalf of those of us who are far away!
Pilgrims love,
Cris
We all do what we can for each other, don’t we? <3 That's what we pilgrims can offer one another and the world.
💖 Annie.
Talking with a fellow Peregrina this morning about this very subject. She’s going for a pedicure again, she said. Made me think. Even the relaxed feeling of sitting in that oversized chair, soaking our feet in the warm water, having someone massage our feet, toes and calves, the gentle pulling and tugging of each little toe is beauty disguised as relaxation. The end result of this pampering is color. Bright, perfect, smiling color. Over the days, weeks and sometimes months, this color fades, chips, disappears. Our friendly calices return, and our feet turn back to Peregrino Feet from the short loved Princess Feet. That’s what I call them. Embrace each with love and smiles. They’ve gotten us where we need to go. Home from our journey. 💙 🚶🏽♂️🚶🏻♀️🚶🏼♀️🚶🏽♂️ 💖
Ahhhh, Sherie, we can’t help ourselves! We are always walking the path together wherever we may find ourselves to be!
Thank YOU Annie for connecting with Phil, Rebecca and Family and for taking us along with you.
My thoughts and Prayers are with Phil,Rebecca and Family.
Northern Loves.
William.
William! I think of you so often when enjoying the gifts of Mother Nature! We are always taking each other along for the ride!
Thanks, Annie. Your timely visit and the depth of your experience and your delightful telling of lessons heard and lessons learned meant a lot.
Thank you Steve-O! We have so much we can learn from one another. I am grateful. Thank you for your kind words. Buen Camino!
Wonderful post, Annie!! It was really great to see you and walk with you this week!
Jen! The pleasure was mine! You must tell me, tell us all, HOW was your art opening!!??!?!
Thanks, Annie!
Susan, thank you for being here. This is a wonderful motley crew of pilgrims, isn’t it!!?!
Oh Annie,
That was so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing! Prayers are with Phil, Rebecca & the whole family! ❤️🙏
Maureen, So nice to see you are here! Yes, all those prayers for Phil, Rebecca and the whole family are making their lives easier even now. <3 Thank you!
Susan and myself enjoyed our walk on Phil’s Camino with he and you last week. Our brief conversation was filled with depth, meaning, comfort and great care. A testimony to the intention Phil has created.
Best to you with the evolution of your new film endeavor.
This is truly sooo Felipé❣️ Thank you for sharing b