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Sheltering Walls

Bare Trees in Fog

"Back in the USSR"

This was my first thought after crossing the Canadian border into the United States! Every other border crossing in the past felt like coming home. Not this time. It's not a case of "you can't go home again" or, "seeing the place as if for the first time." No. This time I returned to an America that does not feel or look like the America I grew up in during the 1960's. Those armed guards at the station remind me of Guatemala; those shared whispers in the ladies room of Cuba; those masked men nabbing citizens off the streets of the USSR!



Paul McCartney, of Beatles fame, in 1968 wrote a song that was prescient: https://share.google/NLiypN3CIcMIcHa8o


McCartney talked about it in a 2023 interview that is like opening up a time capsule. Beatles' music was bootlegged in the USSR when the song came out. Later, the Beatles played in Red Square. In the interview there is a clip of McCartney asking Putin if he had ever listened to the Beatles when he was young. He says: "Yes, it was a window into the world".






 
 
 

Merci Canada!


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This plaque is on the wall of the American Consulate in Quebec City.


“With our thanks and remembrance:


As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, in the name of all Americans, the Consulate General thanks the people of Canada for your support and generosity on this tragic day.


Among the nearly 3,000 innocent victims that day were 24 of our Canadian friends.

The people of Canada were with us in our darkest moments, as you have always been.


Neither terrorism nor adversity can conquer free people. We are happy to have the best neighbors in the world.


We commemorate the past together while looking to the future.


We are eternally grateful.”








Canadians are a gracious and gentle neighbor and friend. I am grateful for the summer weeks among them.



Vive le Canada!




 
 
 

Writing with Julian of Norwich: Third Annual Pilgrimage

If you have been following this blog for a while, then you have seen photos and updates posted from the 2024 and 2025 pilgrimages to Norwich, England. (Please see “All Blogs Pilgrimage” on this website if you missed it.)


Julian was alive and writing in the Fourteenth century when women were not meant to have a voice, and nobody was allowed to read or write in the English language. She broke all the rules and became the first known woman to have written a book in English (published posthumously). Julian was the quintessential insider/outsider, living attached to St. Julian’s Church, while writing words of her own that did not align with the Roman Church’s message of the day. Her message was love.


The theme for the upcoming 2026 pilgrimage will be Writing with Julian of Norwich. Six Pilgrim Sisters are invited to join me for a week in Norwich next May. We will enjoy lodgings at the All Hallow’s Guesthouse right next door to the anchorage where Julian lived and wrote Revelations of Divine Love. We will celebrate Julian’s Feast Day, May 8, with the Friends of Julian. We will tour and participate in events at the National Center for Writing, just down the hill. Norwich is a UNESCO City of Literature. We will spend time at Norwich Cathedral and walk the large labyrinth. The Cathedral librarian will take us into the archives. We will visit the British Library in London to explore three of the handwritten manuscripts. At the guesthouse we will have tea and cakes with local Julian scholars. We will write our own “revelations”as we gather daily to reflect and share our encounters of Julian in her very hospitable community of Norwich.


Norwich, England is preserved in many ways just as Julian’s writing. Charming narrow cobblestone streets and winding river walks with swans at every turn are the backdrop for the pilgrimage. What is a pilgrimage, you ask? Take a look at “What makes a pilgrimage a pilgrimage” under “On Pilgrimage” here marielaureauthor.com


This is your early-bird invitation to reserve your place for the seven day pilgrimage in May of 2026 before it is advertised. With only six places, this is first come, first served. Dates and prices will be forthcoming. All inquiries may be sent directly to me, your pilgrimage leader, at marielaureauthor@gmail.com


Here is one of the 2025 Pilgrim Sisters’ sentiments shared upon returning home: . . .”I just reread what I wrote on that day. It brings tears to my eyes. What we shared with each other that day was so beautiful. I very much enjoyed our writing time together and discovered that I really enjoy writing in a group setting extemporaneously.” K. M.


Lots of information can be found through these links.

Swans of Norwich
Swans of Norwich

 
 
 
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