When my kids were little, one of their favorite books for me to read to them was Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!. They reveled in the rhyming cadence of the book and the nonsensical, made-up words. I soaked in the deeper meaning of lines such as: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” Of course, I always inserted the word girl when I read it to my daughters.
I guess you could say that I’ve taken the good doctor’s words to heart. As I’ve written about before in this column, my family are travelers. We have seen more than half of the states in our country and are always on the lookout for the next great adventure. There are so many things out there to see—and learn from.
Traveling Inward
Sometimes, though, we have to travel to places on our own. Those can be real-life destinations or they can be journeys inward. They can even be both.
Twice in my life, I have been blessed with the opportunity to go on pilgrimage. That is, the chance to visit holy sites or walk in the footsteps of holy men and women.
I made my first pilgrimage to Ireland more than 20 years ago. At the outset, all I knew was that I was going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my dad. The pilgrimage part was a mystery yet to be solved. While there, as part of a group from my college, we explored the theme of Celtic spirituality. Doing so in the homeland of my ancestors provided a personal and spiritual experience that bolstered my faith, even to this day.
So I was thrilled when, years later, I was given the opportunity to take a second pilgrimage, this time to Assisi and Rome, Italy. While there, members of our group and I were immersed in the lives of Sts. Francis and Clare. This one, however, proved a bit more challenging. For not only was I walking in the footsteps of these two beloved saints, I was also doing so just a month after my mom’s unexpected death. At a time when God and I were not necessarily on good terms, Francis and Clare—along with my fellow pilgrims—walked with me in my sorrow and anger. In the lives of Francis and Clare, I was able to find moments of solace.
Adventures Await
So while my family and I are still seeking out the great destinations that await us and the adventures those places hold, I am also acutely aware that some journeys aren’t to places at all. Sometimes, the journey is one that requires you to go deep inside yourself. And sometimes, like for me in Assisi, they’re both. We just have to be open to the possibilities. As Dr. Seuss reminds us: “Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!”