It’s only been three days since we left Le Mans, yet I am already feeling nostalgic. The Holy Cross Heritage Pilgrimage is one of those mountaintop experiences that I will look back often with awe.
We all have mountaintop experiences; every one of us has moments we can recall of great happiness and joy, a great sense of peace and meaning that come into our lives. As we look back on these moments, how many times do we just want to hold on to them? “They are so wonderful; I hate to see them end; I hate to see these people leave my life.”
To hold on to this joy, to this happiness, to this peace is a gut-level instinct we all have. We hold on even stronger when we don’t think that other experiences can top them, or we don’t trust that they can ever happen again.
In a spiritual sense, as good as it is to hold on to something wonderful, a love that is freely given, an experience of life that gives us new meaning to our lives, we ultimately have to let them go. We eventually have to go down the mountain.
We have to let go of our experiences so that something new can be realized. We are blessed with moments on the mountain; we are blessed with new insights about our lives; we are blessed constantly with the joy and happiness we share with each other. That should give us a sense that if this is good, there has got to be something more.
This pilgrimage validates all my other mountaintop experiences: there is always something more. My experiences are all interconnected and woven together to write the story of my live. These experiences tell my story, give me endurance for the journey, and strengthen my faith in God and in others.
Written by Nhat Nguyen