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19 out of 27

For 19 out of the last 27 days, I've been traveling, across the world and right around the areas I call home.

On May 10, I left for Spain to explore facets of the culture, arts, and spirituality of that old European country. It was quite an experience - from Madrid, Toledo, Leon, Salamanca, Granda, and Barcelona. I witnessed soaring cathedrals, major universities, museums full of wondrous artworks, pilgrim trails, mighty peaks, blue skies, crowded cities, waving palm trees, rolling farmland, and on and on. I had the opportunity to hear from religious leaders, followers of the mystical way, economists, local artists, friends, fellow travelers, and locals. The rich palette of what I tasted, touched, and saw remains with me, stirring about below the surface of my mind and memory.

On May 27, after a few days back from Spain, I traveled with 10 other young adults down to Houma, LA to work on homes and projects among communities hit by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Another cultural experience that went deeper in some ways - deeper in our interaction with those who we had come to serve and connect to. Still, there were surprising connections, like walking through the French Quarter of New Orleans and into the Cathedral and feeling like I've been there before. (I guess I hadn't realized that New Orleans was once the capital of the Spanish province of Luisiana.)

As much as one experience was educational and broadening (Spain), the other was grounded in faith and beyond mere words (Gulf Coast).

I'm glad to be home though.