Alicanto

Time has been a fiend, it seems as if I have been here for months, in Spain, and that is has been only a few hours at once. The first few days we spent in Spain, at Loyola were lovely. The weather and scenery like that from a picture book. Rolling mountains and hills all the most brilliant green. Picturesque houses and sheep dotted the hills... Even the pine trees that grew on the mountains grow in the perfect rows of a regular orchard giving the appearance of cultivation and planning even in the "wild" parts of our surroundings. In our Magis circles many expressed the "Language of Love" that seemed to guide and lead us all, making up for the different cultures and languages so that we all understood each other. People spoke of our differences, how varied and lovely they are. I have been most struck by our similarities. We are all Catholics inspired by the Holy Spirit and our faith the happily leave all we know and come from to humble ourselves to service, disscomfort, and possible missunderstandings to search for more, deeper and better relationships with Our God and thus with ourselves. I loves looking out into a crowd and seeing three thousand others that are as stuck in this world of ours as I am, yet hopefull and eagerly awaiting the experiences to come.

The bus drive to Alicante was pleasantly short, just enough rests in between so that at a time we only drove two to three hours maximum. We were travleing in song, translations and assumed interpretaions, mounting expectations.

My experience group works in a public home for the elderly run by the Sisters of St. Vincent du Paul, the Sisters of Charity. The love they show those they care for, and the response of love that the elderly return to those who help them is astonishing; a constand beam of smiles, kisses, hugs and hand holding. The entire experience is nothing but simple expressions of love and affection, both humbling and wonderful. I do feel that our time with them is so short, yet everything happens for a reason, and i feel that the point of such short time is to give us each more time to reflect. There have been more comforts than I expected, but way more silence and reflection as well and to grow in our own spirituality and in our relationships with one another. The community here us beautiful, I feel that I am learning more about Love here in this short spaces of time than I thought possible, more than I feel I have learned before. It is a lesson long overdue.

I love and miss everyone greatly, and daily pray for you back home and on the other pilgrimages.

All my love,

<3<3<3
-e