Camino II — All The “Lovely” People

Where Do They All Come From?

One of the beautiful gifts in traveling, especially to Europe, is variety of people. It’s a little like what Sally and I remember of walking in the Old City, Jerusalem. There are so many people speaking so many different languages. And there are dozens of difference shades of color and shapes of faces and eyes. It’s really a marvel. We white folk are reminded that even though we might think we are the majority, in truth, we are not!

As a human race, we are so different and yet so much the same. We’re in the city of Porto, Portugal. I don’t know much about it yet, and if you are interested in the place you can google it. Here’s what I do know. Porto is a city with lots of shops and restaurants and bars — and people. And they come from all over the world.

With Love

We come from the United States and we want to represent US well. When Americans are ugly then America is ugly, because we are America. So Sally and I, as we did when living in Jerusalem, always remind one another that we are not just us.

In Portugal, we are treated with love, just as we were in Spain. “Com Amor” means “with love” We hear these words from our beloved daughter-in-law to our son Josh and to us as well. Nicoly is from Brazil and proud to be.

We constantly stop people on the street asking them if they speak English. Almost to a person, they do. And then they help us find places and things. Sometimes they even walk us to the place to make sure we don’t get lost, because we could. The couple below, he from Porto, she from Brazil, they married, so warm and winsome. First they gave me directions then she gave me this warm embrace, so totally lovely, and nothing inappropriate about it. I thought of you Nicoly. Coming here has helped me appreciate you even more, which is already a lot. You, like most immigrants, are a gift to those of us with hearts open to accept you, and receive from you the gifts you offer.

What Hate?

There is this notion, and maybe it’s more than a notion, that other folks hate US. In our travels we have not experienced that. Most people don’t treat us any better or worse than anyone else. We are not special. It would be really good if each and all of us could get that through our yankee brains. Many countries of the world are far more advanced than us in so many ways, (health care for one) and behind us in others. Our prowess comes from the vastness of our natural resources, and not because we are smarter or work harder or whatever it is we’ve told ourselves. The only thing exceptional about US is that we think we are not exceptional. No other country on earth says that about herself!

Please, realize that I’m not down on US, but rather up on the whole world, which I think reflects the faith tradition that has been my life.

Mary

This might blow your mind. It did mine. I love going in churches because you always find something that totally surprises, and maybe if you’re open to it, delights you as well. At the church of San Francisco, here in Porto, is a cross with Mary holding a dead Jesus ON THE CROSS! What is that about? I have no idea what the artist had in mind but he made me scratch my head. I like that!