white dress

The little lady was completely demented. Her toothless face and scattered hair could have been frightening, except for her sweet smile. “Do come in and have tea, I’m alone here and lonely. There is no one left, they’ve all gone. They all died. Do come in, have tea, I’m lonely. No one will bother you. I’m alone here. We used to live by the sea, but they took out the house to put in a road, so here I am. Do you like tea? Yes, we moved here after the war. You know, we exchanged populations. So I left all I knew, but that was then. Now I’m old. I’m lonely. You like tea? Do come and have tea, there is no one else, they’ve all gone...” Striking how we’re all on pilgrimage, even if we’re immobile. Her physical transition was generations ago in an era of horse and wagon, yet she feels the move as if it were still underway.

Others have just arrived. Like the two grannies sitting on the sidewalk, watching the little girl play soccer in a white linen dress. They’ve just moved here from the far east, to get away from the war. There’s no particular reason for the white dress, they say.  She just likes it. On this dark street with little sun and piles of trash it’s a declaration of what should be. It’s a statement that in spite of war, displacement, pain, and confusion they were able to keep a dress white. Bright dresses and a cup of tea lighten the day and place road markers as pilgrims gain their bearings.

It strikes me how blessed I am to be able to choose to be on pilgrimage. En route my fellow road mates seem so often to be refugees, thrust onto the road against their will and dragging the heavy baggage of constant loss, regret, and distant memories that can never be recalled without pain. They walk through the Valley of Baca heavy. I see afresh that since my burden is Light, and the yoke I carry is easy, as we walk this road together my blessings provide them with refreshing springs. Just stopping for that cup of tea, that smile, the hours shared is like the bright white dress the child chose - imagery of the Truth that sets us free, where ever we’ve hailed from.