Looking back...

Today we heard the reading about "My yoke is easy, My burden light". At mass on the last day of our Trek, the reading was about doubting Thomas as it was his feast day. Just as the doubting Thomas reading was relevant on our last day, I thought today's reading was relevant to reflection on my experience and I decided this is a good time to post sort of a wrap up reflection on the trip.

It was a good trip. I'm sure we weren't the only trek in the place where personalities didn't mesh perfectly. I would go back in a heartbeat, but I'd have to know up front that the goals of the group were more in line with the concept of "vacation" rather than that of "marathon". This brings me to the yoke quote. At the hunting lodge, Waite Phillips made a lamp fixture out of an old oxen yoke he found on the property. He did this because it looked like his brand. W was taken, so Waite used Bar U U which looks a lot like the oxen yoke.

I remember sitting there in the breezeway sitting on one of Waite's rodent proof lockers and looking up at it and thinking our trek was "unequally yoked". There were those of us who were frustrated that there wasn't enough "down time" and those who were frustrated that we weren't "doing everything". Neither was wrong except if they are unable to compromise.


I have another panorama shot to share. It is the evening sky New Mexico just before a big storm. I was struck by the number of colors and cloud variations. Apps like Photoshop, Gimp and Hugin (for stitching panoramas on OS X) really cannot bring out the splendor of the sky that evening but I gave it a try...

To me, seeing the sky was not unlike putting my hand in Jesus' side. It was so beautiful there was no question of "intelligent design" or other such hooey. It was authored by God.

When I first posted this blog, I literally typed pretty much what was jotted in my journal pad. Then later, at Michele's suggestion, I've edited some of the blog entries to draw less attention to some of the difficulties of the trek. In the end, I want to convey the beauty of Philmont and how much we all enjoyed it.