Week Ending June 20, 2020
Current Week: 1721 km
Total To Date: 4291 km
Pilgrimage Goal: 7292 km
Total Participants: 58
Total Pods: 8
Pilgrimage Week3
Need Something to Read?
Looking for something to read on our Pilgrimage. Rev Shawn Redden has suggested you pick up a copy of "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry". Get more details about the book on Amazon or WikiPedia.
Word for the Coming Week: REST
We will use this word to reflect on as we walk, run or roll through our week.
Some words may inspire you with exciting new insights while others may disturb your thinking or challenge your beliefs. Sometimes you will love or take comfort in what you are hearing, while other times you may feel discomfort or resistance. Pay attention to all as this is part of your journey.
If you wish, keep a journal about your insights, whether challenging, comforting or enlightening. And remember, there is no right or wrong way to travel. This is your journey - you get to decide how you will travel - you need only to begin. Most of all, enjoy the journey knowing that you have many pilgrims who are "virtually" traveling with you!
See you in Victoria!
Question of the Week?
Looking at the Map of Canada you might think we have the most National Parks in the world. A question for this week is which country does hold that honour?
Some pictures that were sent in this week
Are we there yet?
This week our Pilgrimage lands us just outside of Thunder Bay Ontario. I spent some time there working for the Bowater-Abitibi (now Resolute) Mill and enjoyed my time in the remote Northern Ontario town.
Although we are travelling much faster than we first thought, we are already planning a return Trip from BC. We will be using a different route exploring even more of our great country. In the meantime we are highlighting a few interesting places from this weeks journey.
Union United Church
In July 1907, a group of Black railway porters and their wives (founding members of the Coloured Women’s Club) convened a meeting. These men and women wished to worship in their own church in their own style with dignity, respect of person and equality of participation, regardless of gender, one’s ethnic origin or faith. This let to the formation of the Union United Church in Montreal. Read about their story.
Montmorency Falls , Quebec
This is a picture of Montmorency Falls , Quebec. These historic falls are 30 meters higher than Nigeria Falls. Click on the picture to read about this unique site.
Algonquin Provincial Park, ON
Algonquin, the first provincial park in Ontario, protects a variety of natural, cultural, and recreational features and values. As one of the largest provincial parks, Algonquin is biologically diverse with more than 1,000 vascular plant species and more than 200 vertebrates that breed within its boundaries.
It's over 7700 square kms, so our entire pirgrimage could cover just this park alone. Canada is so vast.
Local Virtual Services for June 14
The United Church of Canada Website has the following local area United Church listings for the Area
Time Zone Converter
Since we are displaying services in their Local Time Zone you may want to convert that time to your local area. Here is helpful website to perform this task.
POST A COMMENT below if you are on the journey!
Comments will appear once they have been reviewed
Day 20 – I was wondering how people would be getting home? Any suggestion??
I visited the nation that is bigger than Canada but had no idea about their national parks. They have great fossils so it would be fun to visit . The nation was very broken when I was there, it was a very sad time in their history.
Looking forward to hearing from others, please send pictures and post your comments.
Day 21- can you believe it was three weeks ago that we left Cape Spear and now we are at Thunder Bay. Terry Fox comes to mind , it was 40 yrs ago that his dream of crossing Canada ended in Thunder Bay. But his dream of raising over $1 million for cancer rescearch came true because of generous Canadians. In fact it comes true every year. For years I walked and raised money for Terry Fox Day and I expect that most of you did as well.
Thank goodness Terry posted the word REST. I am into my busy season of caring for the park. No student this summer so I am mowing areas (4 hrs mowing) and would strongly suggest the ‘grass should take a rest.’
Day 23 – Chief Dan George said when we have fog it is because a cloud has come to rest on the earth. My morning walk (5 km ) in the cloud resting around the Bay of Fundy. I could feel the moisture and noted all the wild flowers were open wide trying to embrace a drink.
It is wonderful to walk and know you are walking or biking as well, thank you for joining in.
I noticed the book recommendation by Rev Shawn, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I happened upon that book two summers ago in a sales bin at Giant Tiger, Amherst, and it is one that stays with you. Harold went out for his walk one morning, and kept on walking, and in his pilgrimage journey settled a lot of issues from his past. A charming well thought out story. I took the copy for the Berwick Camp Book Sale, but before it arrived there I gave it to a church friend,/avid reader traveling with me recommending it as the best read I had in a long while. It showed up this spring in our church library.
Day 26 – my walks this week have been very early morning due to the heat. The silence of no highway sounds is peaceful! The joy of seeing a bunny and then another and then another! The birds wake up singing! How great is that.
My thinking was not about REST but about PARTY. ON July 3rd we can cross the boarders and I am so excited. I know on this virtual walk we have crossed 5 boarders but in a week I am going to cross the boarder in real time!
So I am going out for a walk looking for a party, I may not be invited but I am going to show up . I need to be with lots of people. The birds and rabbits are wonderful but I miss people all talking at once, laughing about nothing, telling stories of friends and family.
I guess I am on the verge of being pathetic!
Thanks to everyone for walking – On Friday evening Lila and I share the numbers in amazement. On Saturday I check the site to determine our location, the progress is impressive to say the least. Some discussion of walking back is very possible, are you interested ? Please let your pod leader so we can make plans. Pam
Day 27 – soon we will have been walking for 4 weeks. Soon we will be arriving at the Pacific Ocean. Soon we will be celebrating the 153rd birthday of our wonderful country. I am inviting all who read our posts to share a ‘thankful moment’ for all our country has given us. Let’s see if we can gather 153 thankful moments.