Day 93 -99 My return home
When I
left the service at St. Helena’s Chapel the weather was cooler with overcast
skies. This is wonderful for
cycling. I headed northwest into the
Berkshires Mountains. It came as a
surprise to me that western Mass. is so forested. The GPS led me away from pavement and brought
me along rugged logging roads. The frequent logging trucks were a source of
great anxiety.
This
route led me up a route which could not be cycled. I pushed my bike up a curving road having no
idea when (and if) I would ever reach the top.
After the first mile I stopped getting a GPS signal. After the second mile the skies opened up
with a torrential downpour which hit me before I could get out my rain
gear. After a third mile the road forked
and my GPS was useless. I decided to
disregard the counsel of Robert Frost and take the road most travelled.
Sometime
later, an SUV came rambling along with Pennsylvania plates. Out hopped a lovely lady in strange attire
and offered to help. She was returning
from a local Renaissance festival (which explained her peculiar outfit) and had
also been led astray by her GPS. She
invited me to put my bike and gear into the car and we could seek civilization
together. Almost immediately, the rain
stopped, we reached the top of the hill and the road had become paved. Feeling that I was owed the coast downhill on
this pavement, I really wanted to order her to stop and let me out. I refrained from doing so because we had only
driven a hundred yards such a request would sound crazy. We had, however, an enjoyable conversation
about how we have all lost our sense of direction due to an overdependence upon
GPS. She drove me another 10 miles and
dropped me off when we found a sign
indicated the direction to Bernardston.
Tracy
and Bill Murray were former parishioners from Nantucket who now live in Bernardston. I met up with them and explored Shelburne
Falls, a lovely town built along the banks of the Deerfield River near where it
flows into the Connecticut. The river
has carved an interesting valley through the area which makes it very
attractive for tubing and canoeing. I
was so grateful to catch up with them and wished I could have stayed longer.
On Monday
morning, I cycled to Amherst, and am grateful for the hospitality of Lukey
Nuthman who was preparing for some upcoming solo major bike trips. I am grateful for her hospitality and hope
that I was able to offer some useful information in preparation for her
trip. I left her house and stopped by
the home and museum of Emily Dickenson.
I can now see how the lovely rolling hills combined with the austere 19th
century congregational community; have combined to provide the background for
her beautiful and mysterious poetry.
On
Tuesday, I on and stayed at the house of Clif and Arleen Read in Shutesbury. They are avid cyclists and have followed much
of the same route I have taken on this trip.
I wish I had consulted them before embarking; they have much wise
counsel to offer. It was a source of sadness
that I arrived on the anniversary of the death of their son, Charlie who had succumbed
to a severe epileptic seizure. They have
been able to use their love of cycling as a fund raising instrument for the Epilepsy
Foundation. They are members of the
Quaker community and have adopted the linguistic habit of referring to each
other as “Thee”- an intimate greeting (in contrast to the formal “you”). Most English speakers have dropped the use of
formal and informal pronouns and I fear our speech is impoverished because of
this.
Wednesday
night was a short day and I only had to cycle 20 miles from Amherst to
Belchertown (an unfortunate town name).
Jan and Richard Prager prepared a meat free meal which was so delicious
that it inspires me to become a vegetarian.
On Thursday,
I cycled on to Sturbridge and was hosted at the lovely lakeside home of Mark
Farrell. I was able to able to jump into
the lake after a long day pedaling which was source of great joy. The lake carries the unfortunate name “Lead
mine Lake” leaving one with the impression that it contains toxins. The water, however, was cool, clean and
refreshing and I realize what a blessing such places are in New England.
My mother
and sister, Catherine, had arranged to meet me for my penultimate night in
Worcester, Mass. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time
with them after being separated from them for three months. We rented an apartment for the night and I
was able to fill them in on some of the places I had seen along the way. By prior arrangement, they would be bringing
my gear to Saugus and I would bike my last day unencumbered.
The absence
of the 60 pound cart made me feel as though I could fly. The route from Worcester to Saugus is lovely
with many farm stands along the way.
Designated bike routes are available for half of the trip. This makes it possible to imagine that I was
not cycling through a very densely populated region (for the first time since
Chicago). That day I had to cycle 60
miles (a great distance for me), but the absence of baggage and the gradual
downhill run towards the sea made it a pleasure. I was so looking forward to seeing Denise and
the community at St. John’s, Saugus.
Ten miles
before I reached my home, a loose strap became entangled in my rear gears and
derailleur. This caused me to yell
coarse words to the elements. I had to
carry my bike to a parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts in Medford and began removing
my rear wheel.
Denise
was able to follow my progress on her GPS and found it unseemly that with only
10 miles to go I had stopped for donuts.
The removal of the strap and re-aligning of the derailleur was a large
production, and my pride would not allow me to call up Denise to pick me
up. I am so very grateful that yet
another angel, Chris Legere, pulled into the parking lot and had the necessary
tools and expertise to correct the problem.
As I
approached home, Denise continued to follow me on the GPS, and went out to meet
me on the bike path when I was a mile away.
It was such a joy to finally pull into a driveway I had not seen for 3
months and to be greeted by Denise, her sister Valerie visiting from Milan, and
Harry Coverston, a priest from Orlando who was filling in for me for part of my
absence.
The next
morning I was able to sit with Denise in church, which I rarely get the
opportunity to do. Harry offered a
prayer of Thanksgiving for my safe return and blessed Denise and me in that
this was our 41st wedding anniversary. Harry offered a beautiful prayer marking my
return
“Gracious G-d, we offer you our gratitude
that you have granted our Brother, John, a welcome return home.
We thank you that he has been preserved
from all harm and, encircled by your holy angels, traveled safely across this
land to his journey’s end. And we thank
you for your abiding presence with Denise, his wife, his family, and this
community during his absence.
May his coming home bring new gifts, new
life, new hope. We thank your that which
all who return home bring us.
·
A
sense of freshness
·
A
reminder that there is a world out there beyond the one we kow
·
And
the assurance that life goes on, life is good, and tha tour connection to you,
O G-d, can neer be broken no matter how far we roam.
Amen
There are
other reflections that I will be adding to this blog later, but I wanted to
thank all those people who have demonstrated kindness, love and prayers for me
during this pilgrimage. I have developed
the habit of reflecting regularly on the meditation offered by Vivek Murthy,
the U.S. Surgeon General
“…think
about the people who have loved you over the years, the people who have been
there for you during difficult times, who have supported you without judging
you, and who stood by your side even when it was hard. Think about the people who have celebrated of
moments of greatest joy with you, the people who say your successes as theirs,
the people who derived such pleasure and fulfillment from seeing you
happy. Feel their love flowing through
you, lifting you up, brightening your mood, and filling your heart. And know that that love is always there, even
if they are not physically with you, because you carry that love in your
heart. And know that you are and always
will be worthy of that love. It came to
you because you deserved it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment