This photo was taken at the Carmel Mission Basilica, in Carmel, CA which my family and I visited on a lovely trip to Monterey, CA this past week. Wherein, I not only got to enjoy five beautiful days in one of my favorite locales, but I actually got to read a book...from front to back! WooHoo! I haven't had an opportunity to do that since my daughter was born and before that I was only interested in reading baby books during the months leading up to her birth. Had I only known, I would have taken full advantage of my free time!!!!
I was meant to read this book though. Not to sound hoaky, but I feel like it opened my eyes...wide. Up until this point, the thought of me being a religious person was laughable. I wasn't even ready to admit to a belief in God. I suppose my reluctance to accept religion was due to the fact that all I'd ever learned was Christianity, and it just didn't sit right with me. It was so out of place in my thought processes, I just kept thinking that religion and I were not meant to be friends.
I have to say though, it's my fault that I didn't pursue religion, or perhaps my correct term will be "spirituality". I had always meant to take a class on religion to determine if there were another path for me, but it never happened. That's ok, though, it caught up to me. This book was about a woman's journey to enlightenment...she made me laugh and even cry a little, but more importantly she showed me a spiritual path through meditation, and the knowledge that God is in you and you are in God. God has been there this whole time and I knew it, I just needed to find a way to connect. So, I will be taking a bit of a spiritual journey...from the comfort of my own home of course. As much as I'd love to travel to an Indian Ashram, I am a mom and I have responsibilities that tie me here. Plus, as excited as I am about the possibility of making this connection that I've longed for for so long now, I still have to walk the path to make sure it's the right one for me.
I have to say, it's pretty cool to be able discuss God and not want to hide from myself at such religious talk. There is no more stigma in God for me...or at least the stigma is all washing away as I build up my own ideas about spirituality.
Oh boy, now my mom-in-law can really start teasing me for being a hippie!!! :o)
