50+ Lifestyles

My Pilgrimage – A Spiritual Journey

By Mary Huebbe
Marketing Consultant
Ridgecrest Village

I was blessed recently with the opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to an area located in Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina about 16 miles from Mostar. This trip was a spiritual adventure, and very rewarding for my husband and me. You don’t go to sightsee; you go to really see!

I guess I should explain that last line. When you go on a pilgrimage, it is something you are doing to experience something, a feeling or enlightening. When you go on a vacation, you go to see things and enjoy different sites. A pilgrimage is for your inner self. It can give you a tremendous peace when you are open for the experience. I was very fortunate to have been given many moments of true serenity while I was there, as well as when I returned home.

    On our pilgrimage, there was an older couple and their daughter that flew in with us. Their son and daughter-in-law with their family were joining them the next day. For some reason my husband and I felt drawn to them; watching the interaction between them was amazing. There was so much respect and love in that family, and the love was shared with anyone that came in contact with them. While there, my husband, myself and this lovely family all climbed Apparition Mountain. Together, they helped the grandparents up and down the mountain. They stayed together as a family and prayed together all the way up. Watching them made me yearn for my family.

I went to several church services while I was there, but one in particular stood out to me.  The priest was talking from his heart; he was telling about how he felt inside. He used the image of a hand cradling a baby, (the hand was Jesus and the baby was him). He said sometimes he liked being kept safe inside of the loving embrace, but other times he would bite the hand, forcing it to drop him and he would run away. Always, there was a voice calling him back. Sometimes it was just that easy, but other times he just waved at the hand saying, “See you later.” The hand never gave up though; he would send shepherds out to try to encourage him back, as well as other apostles, even his mother at times. The hand always wanted him to know that he is loved and forgiven, if only he would ask.

I thought long and hard about that service; it hit me somewhere inside. I never realized how much I’m loved, how much we all are loved.  The fact that forgiveness was that easy is even a whole different concept.  If we do something wrong to people here on earth, is it that easy for them to forgive us?  Do we forgive someone that easily?

Someone else said “We are given 86,400 seconds in a day. How do you use them?”  I realize a lot of mine are wasted. What could I be doing with them?  How could I be making someone’s life a little better with those seconds I am wasting?  What could you do with them?

When it was time to leave and head home, I felt an inner loss and wasn’t sure I wanted to return home. Who wants to leave a place that gives you a feeling of true peace and inner joy?  This was a place where you don’t need to lock your doors or fear sharing your religion with others. I was able to walk around the area at all hours of the night without worrying about who else might be out there. I felt completely safe at all times.

To my surprise though, I was glad to be back home. My immediate family members were there waiting to greet us. We all had a wonderful evening talking about the trip.
Then when I returned to work, I was extremely shocked to find my office all decorated with “Welcome Home” signs, balloons and flowers everywhere, along with a beautiful card telling me how much I was missed.  After drying my eyes, I sat down at my desk getting ready to start my day when it hit me; I am so truly blessed here!  My ”family” just keeps growing. I am able to share in many people’s lives and will never be alone.  God has blessed me more than I could ever explain.  It was after coming home that I understood why I was so drawn to the older couple. It was because they reminded me of my home at Ridgecrest Village, where there is so much love and respect for everyone.

This year Ridgecrest will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary. We plan to have many events throughout the year.  Make sure to watch for them so you can see for yourself why I call this HOME!

If you get anything out of this article, I pray it is to make sure to take time out of your busy schedules and think about all the gifts you have been given. Blessings from God are things that we sometimes take for granted. Take the time to thank Him and enjoy your gifts.

Mary Huebbe is the marketing consultant for Ridgecrest Village in Davenport, Iowa. For more information about Ridgecrest Village, contact Mary at (563) 391-3430 or BMorrison@RidgecrestVillage.org.