Set Forth, Pilgrim! Friends Await You

July 25, 2009**

"...Set Forth! You were born for the Pilgrim Road. You have envisioned enemies – You will find brothers and sisters..." From engraved stone in Spanish Majorca. I have spent time wandering on Pilgrim Roads and Footpaths. I am searching, as are others, for those Pilgrim moments of discovery. I left Muklia Ungdomsenter this morning with no definite destination in mind for the day. Only possibilities. Such is the pilgrim life. I found myself some hours later passing Meslo Gård, indentified by its friendly roadside sign as a refuge ¨Herberge¨ for pilgrims. I wasn't going to stop there so early in the day. Mowing her lawn in the front yard was Ingrid Meslo. In Spain, you would call her the "hostelera". I stopped and, finding her smiling and friendly, asked her if she would call Segård Hoel for me to book me accommodation for the evening. She had the phone, knew the number, and was soon making the arrangements for down my road. Very efficient. Next she was asking me, "Would I like a cup of coffee?" I confessed that would be hard to resist, especially if she had some freshly made. She didn't but was off to her kitchen quickly to remedy that small shortcoming. In minutes, she returned with a tray, a thermos, a plate with rolls and small delicacies, and two cups. The second cup was the detail that told me I was welcome. She would interrupt her lawn mowing chore, sit down and rest, and enjoy coffee and conversation with me. And I would return to my pilgrim road fortified and renewed. She gave me a small gift as I left – a reliable tip regarding the "Stadion" road that would return me to mountain ridge levels and my pilgrim trail with just a little less effort. Pilgrims, I recommend Ingrid's refuge to you. And I leave you with another thought. The English word ¨Enthusiasm¨ derives from the Greek. Broken down into its Greek root parts, it translates to ¨filled with the Divine Spirit¨. Pilgrims, you know how this feels. The spirit is reflected in many of your faces and in the light in your eyes as your own pilgrimages bring you safely into Nidaros⁄Trondheim. May that spirit guide you all.