I departed the odd-but-still-lovely church and walked on a few hundred yards or so into Gaillac proper, where I right away saw a very elderly woman pruning some very beautiful flowers in front of a very beautiful cottage. In my sufficient-but-still-extremely-broken French I complimented her obvious gardening prowess, and she proceeded to ask me where I had come from and where I was headed. Well, almost needless to say, she was quite amazed that I had left Stuttgart, Germany, some 2 months prior, and she was even more astounded that my ultimate destination was the United States. It didn’t take her long thereafter to wobble off and fetch her daughter, who turned out to be the proprietress of the house there. Apples indeed far not far from their trees, and the daughter (in her late 50’s maybe?) was even more enthusiastic about my pilgrimage than her mother had been. She even went so far as to half-offer a place to stay for the night, needing only to check with her soon-to-return husband as to whether that offer could indeed be officially extended.

Well, the husband did indeed return, and yet it turned out that he was not at all impressed – either by me or my Walk or its peaceful mission; smugly telling his mother-in-law to show me to “the other house” where I could indeed stay the night if I wished. Though I was partly excited about the prospect of a bed and the sleep it would offer, something about his demeanor told me to reserve my euphoria until after I had seen the gifted refuge, and it unfortunately turned out that this intuition was more than spot on. For “the other house” he had so condescendingly offered was the full bore opposite of the quaint house in which he & his were residing. Indeed, it was so worn down (the toilet wasn’t even connected to the flooring) and it was so covered in dust & mold that it would have been preferable in every way to sleep outside in a raging hailstorm if need be … :O

So I thanked the elderly grandma profusely for the “kind” offer, and then told her I would have to be walking onward despite (actually because of) the same … No matter in the end, I thought; reminding myself that this pilgrimage was not being walked for personal comfort or benefit, but was rather a radical way of awakening others to the immense Joy that comes while being Kind when least inclined. And even though the husband of that cottage had passed on this glorious opportunity, his mother-in-law had most certainly not – and that thought brought me Peace as I hobbled onward into the gathering gloom … 🙂

“We all have a light upon our house, and if shining can give great promise to all who sail upon life’s stormy seas. Do you know what it means to have a light burning atop your household? It means arms wide open. It means a heart ready to forgive. It means a place of refuge for the homeless and a plate of food for the hungry. It means grace and it means kindness and it means caring and it means Love. And when lit it is seen by all as a signal that you stand for something far greater than this mere world.” ~ inspired by James M. Pratt

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt