Pilgrimage, for me, isn’t always about visiting a Religious Site.
Last summer my parents and I went to Scotland on a trip we’d been planning for more than a year. We saw all the tourist sites in Edinburgh and then traveled across the country to Oban. We took the ferry to Mull and eventually made it to the island of Iona.
I have heard for years about how amazing Iona is - a ‘thin place’ between this world and the eternal. I’ve used the music from the Iona community and I’ve long known of the community and imagined visiting it. But I did not have a mystical experience at Iona. The church is beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the audio tour. But lunch is what really captured me.
It was a beautiful day in Scotland. Not as sunny as the record setting ones of the previous days, but wonderful all the same. It was windy on the island and only slightly overcast. My parents and I lingered near the dock and walked through the gift shop, allowing the crowds to beat us up the hill to the church. We decided to stop for lunch first. And again, trying to avoid the rush off the ferry, we turned right instead of left and wandered down the village road parallel to the sound. A line of B&Bs and small hotels provide hospitality. The Argyll Hotel is about 4 buildings down with a small restaurant. We stuck our heads in to ask if they were still serving lunch. We were greeted warmly and quickly seated by a table next to the big picture windows.
We looked out over a sloping lawn that ended at the rocky coast. It was warm enough for some to sit outside on the picnic tables. The menu featured vegetables from the back garden and Scottish meats, cheeses, and seafood. My parents shared a ploughman’s lunch. I ordered a chicken and ham salad sandwich. It was all simple and fresh and incredibly good. The lettuce tasted like spring itself and the fresh bread would rival any gourmet baker’s. My parents’ spread left plenty for me to taste and the meat and cheese were among the best I’ve ever had. I’m sure sea air and sunshine added to the experience, but mostly it was the care with which our lunch was made and offered.
Vowed religious talk about “simplicity of life.” It refers to relinquishing excess material goods and often includes intentional practices like gardening and cooking. It is the sort of life lived by the Iona Community. But I saw a spirituality of everyday things at lunch at the Argyll Hotel. The owners are not striving to be the biggest hotel or the most luxurious. They offered hospitality that was simple and beautiful and good.
Comentários