Sleeping behind a monastery tonight in a building that has served the pilgrims since the 11th century. We even had to come throught the church and walk by the altar to get to the albergue. The rooms are cold and we are already in our sleeping bags to keep warm.
Today we walked through the Arga River valley and up and over the "Alto del Perdon" - the Hill of Forgiveness. It was a tough and steep climb up, yet what was the most challenging was the cold wind. I couldn't believe how cold and windy it was. I had my face wrapped, and several layers on as I climbed for 2 to 3 kilometers up to the top of this 750 meter "hill" that also served as a ridge for many giant white windmills. The windmills sounded like airplanes as the roters moved consistently around.
Perdon. Forgiveness. What does it mean to forgive? To forgive implies that wrong was done. But what if that is a belief that in and of itself keeps us in a certain limited mindset? What if what is more true is that everything occurs for a reason, an opportunity for each of us to learn and grow, to become more conscious and loving. What if it's not about forgiveness, but more about compassion - compassionate understanding for ourselves and each other, and perhaps even gratitude, for the opportunities to expand, learn,grow evolve?
The wind and the climb was the perfect experience for me to reflect on forgiveness and compassion, both for myself and for others. I have only briefly touched on this topic here because of today's climb, but it is a subject worth exploring much more deeply,.
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Sarah, I love that thought about forgiveness and compassion!I really agree. Because the reason why somebody would do something 'bad' is always again rooted in being treated in a way before from whoever that was also not honoring who they really are and were hurt somehow. Listening to each other with a truly open heart and mind (compassionate) might be a good start.
ReplyDeleteHugs for both of you,
Colocha