31. A day of Blessing in Lourdes

I am so blessed, I never realized until now.

God introduces me people into my life that are extraordinary somehow.

This morning, I got off to a late start because I slept like a baby.

I am rushing to the mass at the Basilica not knowing where to go.

I keep passing two women, one in a wheelchair that is not going slow.

I take a wrong turn, backtrack and there she is again.

I joke to them that I am following them, because they know where they are going.

The two women are from Britain, Annie and Brenda, have made this pilgrimage before,

And said to join them for mass, because they know the ins and outs of the door.

We attend French mass at the Basilica and it is all sung in French ,

Then afterwards these two angels give me directions from the bench.

I get a personal tour of the holy Lourdes and history of Bernadette,

They tell me stories of their 30 yrs of pilgrimages with their families yet.

Annie’s grandson has sung in the choir for the Pope,

She has made this pilgrimage for her spinal injury in hope.

I am amazed at the joy she has inside

And tells me what to do to get the best and how to confide.

Annie and Brenda tell me I have a guardian angel that is my guide.

I think of how I have been truly blessed and that over the years

I have been protected and blessed through my pain and tears.

Here is the encased spring that was created

When Bernadette dug in the mud until she excavated

The spring of the holy grotto flowing

And the water that has continued to keep on growing

They show me all the beautiful sights

And then we part and I am by myself thru the night

I light a candle for an eternal blessing,

I say a prayer for myself and for my family's resting,

It is hard to imagine that where the statue stands

Was where the Virgin Mary made her demands.

I enter into the sacred baths

Not knowing what to expect in my path.

The procedure is foreign as you get undressed,

Three young women tell you what to do,

They assist you and it is ever so humbling to you.

You are wrapped with a wet, cold towel before you are blessed.

A dunk in the sacred water you go

And it is so fast, it is over before you know.

But somehow a peace and calm over you appear

And you know that you have been blessed this year.

To the holy grotto I walk as in a trance,

The priest appears and begins the Virgin mass.

It is so surreal and I can’t believe I am here,

Where the Virgin Mary announced herself to the people so near.

One can never reject that this is a holy place

And I am so thankful that I came upon this space.

I feel a sense of cleansing and letting go,

Like a peeled onion, I am humbled so low.

I fill the vials of holy grotto water for my loved ones,

This is a better souvenir that can be for anyone.

During the time in the bath, I come across some familiar faces,

One is a woman in Toulouse at the train station, of all places.

I am awaiting my turn for the baths to be certain,

And a dog whines from behind the curtain.

She is the same woman that was feeding her dog

In the Toulouse train station that appeared as a hog.

She upset my stomach as all the rest,

She fed her dog her food  from her breast.

It was disgusting and people complained,

But her she is now, several hundreds miles away,

In the holy grotto with her dog and her praise.

There must be some significance to see

Because she grossed me out and the way she was to be.

Two woman that awaited on either side of me  before entering the baths,

I came upon in the City and we had some special words to be spoken in faith.

They were with friends that didn’t predicate

But we had an unspoken bond that we didn’t speak.

How ironic that I came upon these three women

And I wondered what was the significance or the omen.

I wandered upon the city to the grocery store,

Because I have a kitchenette and can cook once more.

I feel quite content in my small apartment

And realize we do not need much in life to be content.

I receive a rejection letter from my interview in Florida

But accept this as so that it was not meant to be.

I receive emails from friends that are unable to meet me in Paris

Also accept this that I am still to remain alone, not to be embarrassed.

I must thank God in all his blessings

That I am protected and am learning lessons.