I’m currently sitting on our villa roof along the coast of Santorini Island. It is another magnificent place with a people who are beautiful and full of energy. I emphasize that last comment as I can hear on this early morning two very loud families talking/discussing family business over the breakfast table. The trip has gone by so quickly. Rarely does anyone say the opposite in situations like this, yet I would add that I do not feel run down or in need of a vacation after the vacation. I have slept better than I have in months, if not the last few years. I feel rested, and though I am tired at the end of each day, I have had practically no caffeine this entire trip. As a person who usually drinks multiple glasses of strong tea each day, and an occasional energy drink, this is quite the change. I would love to reduce that intake upon returning to the states.
That’s all to prepare readers for a cliche – there is a definite need to slow life down and enjoy life. The culture in which we live (and the culture I have too often embraced) defines a person based upon what s/he accomplishes or creates. Not that we should be unproductive, but at the end of each day, it would be nice to celebrate and offer gratitude for the relationships a person has, relationships that have no business or monetary end game. Currently, I find myself in relationship to the rooster who is crowing a block over and the donkey that is announcing his presence. I love the people with whom I have had the honor of traveling, while also enjoying the people I have met along the way. Most all of them have been kind and funny, with a curiosity to know us and our stories. Greece has its issues, as does every country. But no one I have met wants to leave this country. There is pride, even when there is poverty and struggles. I have been told on more than one occasion, in Greece, it is the three legs on a stool – A common faith, a shared national story, and a love of family. “It’s who I am,” someone told me.
It has been fascinating to observe the “common faith” leg on that stool. In our travels, we have been able to observe it from multiple angles. Though like most places in the world, the Greek Orthodox Church has seen a steady decline in regular worship attendance in recent years. Yet visiting so many different churches, I was fascinated by the number of young people who would enter the church over their lunch hour and light a couple of candles, and pray before one of the beautiful icons. Talking to one of our drivers, it’s not that people think it is magical or a way of gaining leverage on God. Instead, it is the connection people feel to family and history, alongside the beauty of the ritual itself. It brings peace, I was told. The Eastern Orthodox Church does a much better job of respecting mystery than the Western Church. Though Greece is the home of ancient philosophy, and there are plenty of philosophical and academic conversations happening over a glass of ouzo, there is a capacity to simply be in awe and remain in awe of the what it not easily explained. There is a willingness to be in the presence of what is holy instead of trying to dissect it for academic purposes. There is joy in claiming oneself as a beloved child of God instead of chipping away at the bedrock of faith, the unconditional nature of God’s love. I do have a strong sense of curiosity. It is who I am, and that won’t change. At the same time, Greece has taught me to breathe in life and to exhale words of gratitude. The challenge will be maintaining some semblance of this peaceful joy once I return to daily life.
Grace & Peace,
Bruce
