And then it was at some point thereafter that I made it to the Highway 11 turn off and began to proceed along the same, when I noticed a German-looking restaurant (It’s name – The Edelweiss – was kind of an easy give away) by the roadside. There were no cars in the parking lot at the time, so I assumed the place was closed, and yet I wandered up to its front door anyway, and to my surprise found that it was open. And as I entered its lovely wooden doors I was instantly transported back to Germany itself – with the interior of the place perfectly resembling many of the restaurants and kneipes I had loved to frequent during my many years living in good old Deutschland. The waitress on hand (Marianna Fuchs, who happened to be the granddaughter of the establishment’s original owners) came out and I complimented the décor in German. To my renewed and just as pleasant surprise, she answered me in the same tongue and for the first (and only) time in America was able to share the tale of my Walk in my non-mother tongue. Marianna admittedly didn’t quite know what to make of me or my journey, and yet her great kindness shone through brightly nonetheless, with her graciously offering me lunch there (even though the kitchen was in prep mode for that evening’s opening and was essentially closed). And what lovely repast it was – consisting of a crisp green salad (worth it’s weight in gold for any mendicant pilgrim), fresh bread, and two orders of authentic German kraut (!!!). I ate in bewondered silence with Marianna monitoring my progress from across the room, and as I started to finish up she came by again and asked if I would like seconds of anything (!!!). I told her that I was fine and already overflowing with gratitude (along with a German recitation of a proverb my quarter-German father often used to utter: “Enough of any great thing is too much”) and then I rose in equal parts humility & thankfulness, wished her the very best of lives, and made my way back out the The Way …

“Each time a person passes by you and you say ‘hello’ or offer them any gift or kindness, imagine that person turning into a candle, with the more positivity, love and light you relay to them, the more brightly their own subsequent flame will shine upon others. Indeed, sharing beautiful hellos &/or creating beautiful encounters is the quickest way to empower your own spirituality. So start seeing your Hellos as small declarations of faith & tiny gifts of inner warmth. For every time you say Hello to a stranger, your deeds announce – and your heart acknowledges – that we are indeed all members of one Family.” ~ via Suzy Kassem

“When all are one sentience, language withers and fades away. So let’s sit together and speak in silence. Let’s be a light to each other’s way and a warmth to each other’s chills & shadows … No matter where you live – and even if you never venture far from home, we are all in the intimate membership of a small group of people that we call a county. And the difference is not a matter of who’s in and who’s out of that tribe; it’s a matter of whether you remember on a daily basis that you are an embodiment of the same; a continuation of something far bigger than yourself. No matter where we happen to reside, we are all a part of the life and history of that place – and we should all remember to act accordingly.” ~ inspired by Abhijit Naskar & Eric Overby

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