So long

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
In a couple of hours I'll leave for Egypt and Jerusalem, much to the
exaggerated consternation of my son.  The State Department has been warning
against going  to  the Middle East in general and Jerusalem in particular.
Well, che sara, sara.   Someone said (Che Guevara , I think) that it is
better to die in courage than to live in fear; the pity of it is that he was
so young when he thought so;  but for me, at my age (60)  I needn't worry
about risks and such anymore.
Unintentionally I will have been in the three Christian pilgrimage cities in
less than a year:  Santiago last September, Rome last January, and now
Jerusalem.  My motives and purposes for these trips are fundamentally
religious.  I was born into Roman Catholicism as a fish is born to water, and
in all my life I have never, ever, doubted. I know myself to be enormously
fortunate in that respect.
That said, Linda wrote about a Greek Orthodox church in Jerusalem where the
head of St. James is believed to be kept, (as we know, he was decapitated in
Jerusalem);
personally, I am not fond of body parts being kept as relics and do hope that
such belief is only symbolic or metaphorical; either way, I am eager to visit
the church and the other sites, Santiago related,  mentioned by Linda and
Maryjane. I'll make note of anything related to our Apostle and will report
when I come back.
While in Egypt , I'll try to build up my physical endurance for the eagerly
awaited pilgrimage to Santiago next August.
Have a nice couple of weeks, meanwhile
Affectionate regards,
Rosina