People build community!

"Hoovering with a smile!"

It's Thanksgiving Day now. Much to be thankful for, especially people in my life. Some come and go, others hang around a while, while others are here for the long haul. All enrich the journey. The trip to Iona was as much about people as place. During the week at Iona, we live in community. Everyone pitches in with chores (or at least we were all assigned to a team responsible for some chores.) Funny how working, playing, hanging out and worshiping together builds community. Prior to leaving for Scotland, I only knew Carol from our group of 14 from Minnesota. Met the others only once. During the week in the Iona Community got to create additional connections with others from Scotland, England, Ireland and a few other places. Each adds a unique quality to the community. My week at Iona was rich with fun people, new perspectives, a few challenging viewpoints to contemplate and a few new friendships. I'm thankful today for the people that made my participation in the Iona Community a time to remember and cherish.

Can't always be serious!

Our "team" had kitchen duty; every morning cutting veggies.

Eating together sure builds community.

It was often tea time.

Did I say sheep and golf course!

Yes, sheep where everywhere on the isle grazing on meadows, hillsides and along the one or two roadsides on the island. Their busy mouths clipped the grass close to the earth. They are the natural groundskeepers on the isle's golf course. What an interesting course it is. It is located on the Machair, a common public grazing area on the isle's west side that runs from the crest of the hill to the overlook and beach called "Bay at the Back of the Ocean." It was a public place of agriculture used by Celtic monks and later by Benedictines to raise corn. The golf course is used often, but putting must be interesting as sheep graze, cattle rest and golf balls are diverted when they bounce off sheep droppings. It was quite surreal.

The "Thin Place"

The small Isle of Iona drips with raw natural beauty. It's a nature that's not overpowering. It's a nature that provides comfort and is close by at all times from the ocean shores, white sand beaches, rocky outcroppings, lush green meadows, heather covered hillsides and sheep, yes sheep, everywhere. Along the pilgrimage on Iona I was struck by the scene in this picture (click on pic for closer look.) It's one of my favorites of more than 700 shots I took. Through the misty scene a stone fence sheltered a newly mown field. It was so picturesque and captured a vision I held of what the British Isles would look like, so pastoral. It was hard to tell where the misty heavens ended and the lush green earth began. It also captures for me something on Iona called the "thin place." George MacLeod, the creater of the Iona Community, is credited for originally saying that Iona itself was a "thin place" where the material and spiritual came close to each other. It is symbolized in the Celtic pattern of weaving vines that point to the intertwining of heaven and earth. Along the pilgrimage and in many moments during the week on Iona I experienced "thin place" moments. There was a unique calm connection with all around -- people and nature. Sometimes I wondered which side of the thin place I was experiencing.

Gardens of Iona

Thistle, the flower of Scotland

Lots of sun, yet cool and misty, the gardens on Iona are beautiful and lush. Fuchsia's were bush-form. One morning I toured the organic vegetable gardens at the St. Columba Hotel just down the road from the Abbey. The lettuce, cole crops, root crops and onions were bountiful. Produce is used in the Hotel dining room. Of course there are many wild flowers also. And thistles....the flower of Scotland.

Lettuce of all colors at St. Columba organic garden

Pilgrimage to St. Columba's Bay on Iona

One of the memorable experiences on Iona was a pilgrimage to a number of sacred and significant locations on the Isle. One of my favorites was St. Columba's Bay. This is the spot where St. Columba is believed to have landed from Ireland in 563. We crossed over boggy meadows, sandy outcroppings and heather covered hillside on a misty, damp, and sometimes rainy day in July. The foggy mist added an aura of mystery to the journey. Interesting to me is that there were no trees on the island except in the small village. It was quiet a beautiful experience, many metaphors to contemplate and it felt very "Scottish."

Pictures of the Iona Abbey and Cloister

Cat in the cloister

Approaching Abbey and Iona from Isle of Mull. Dun I (hill) behind Abbey

Gathering for tea in the cloister.


Abbey from the meadow

A week on the Isle of Iona, Scotland

In July I traveled to Scotland. After 3 days in Glasgow, I headed to the Isle of Iona with a group of 14 from St. Paul to spend a week at the Iona Community. About 75 were part of the community during the week. We stayed in a restored, ancient Abbey (13th century). It was a wonderful week of fellowship, exploring social justice issues, meeting folks from around UK and Europe. It was quite a remarkable week. Here are a few pics of the Abbey. The St. Martins Celtic Cross has been on the site for over 1000 years.