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Happy, happy new year.....

January 2, 2018, 2:00 pm
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So, I woke up on the first and coldest day of the new year to very little heat.  Temperatures had gotten into the minuses overnight and the furnace would not go above 65.  I didn't panic, I hunkered down, canceled my plans, called the repair service and waited until Tuesday to get the furnace running properly.  I had time to consider....

This truly is the beginning of my new year, new life.  I am not in a rental, I have finshed changing my name, I am planning a trip and planning for a grandbaby, my journey is less on winding rocky ground.  Everything isn't smooth, in this world there will be troubles....I have an eye problem that will require surgery.....things like the pesky furnace.....

But, I was talking to someone on new years' day who told me, I can tell that you needed to be out of your marriage, because you are happier and like your old self.  In short, I am not anxious, fearful, sad, and lonely.  For the first time in a long time, I am happy.

I remember when I once thought, if I play by the rules and follow the commands, then my life will be as happy and productive as God intended it to be.  And I tried and tried and tried.  And that is the thing, I tried.  God led me other places, in other ways, and I refused to listen, I refused to consider, I held tight to what I thought was right. 

For me, when I listened to the priests, deacons, spiritual advisers, counselors, friends, family members and God's voice in my prayer who all urged me to consider a different path, I started to find joy and happiness.  I started to find who I was created to be.  At first, I didn't want it to be true,  But, as I walked the path, it became clearer and clearer that to be whole and holy I had to step off the path and lsiten to God, to journey in trust, to look for joy and happiness and not rules and fear.

This year holds the usual amount of joy and tears.  This year I walk with God and work only for His will for my life.  This year is full of possibilities.  Happy, happy New Year.
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Cold, No I Can't Believe.....

January 7, 2018, 7:41 pm
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This has been the longest cold spell I can remember since moving to Missouri in 1990ish.  Two weeks continuously below zero.  There has been snow on my roof since before Christmas. Snow.  My furnace had problems and my fish died.  Good bye, Jack.  My feet are continuously cold (I need to remember socks....).

But, the cold may mean less bugs this year, at least at the beginning of summer.  It should scare back the encroaching armadillos.  They are awfully big road kill.  They jump up in the air and damage the bumper or the undercarriage.  Less armadillos is better for everyone.

I packed away Christmas today.  The fake poinsettias are still frozen in the front yard, but I understand temperatures will be above freezing and I can pull them out this week.  I presume we will return to normal semi-southern winter after this.

Winter is a long way from being over.  It may get cold again, really cold, And snow and ice, These things come and they go.  They fall and accomplish their purpose. And through it all, I will try to rejoice.
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Bolg Jumpstart part 4

January 10, 2018, 4:00 pm
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I still haven't figured out how to link to the blog jumpstart, but I can take the prompt and run with it.

If I could have anyone living or dead over to dinner, who would I invite?  There are so many good answers, holy answers.  But, I have to go with the longing in my heart.

If I could invite anyone to dinner, I would have my dad who has been gone these 35 years over to dinner. If dad were still alive he would be 98 years old. I would love to hear his laugh, just one more time.  I would love to tell him about my son and daughter in law and the baby they are expecting.  And I am already bawling as I type this.

I lost my dad too soon. He was only 62, younger than I am now. I was not yet 30 when he died.  My son was not yet 2.  He has no memory of his grandpa who loved him so much.  I had only just started to get to know my dad as an adult person when he died.  There were so many things we hadn't talked about, that I want to know.

Life is complicated.  I have become my mother's caretaker and confidante.  I handle her finances and her needs and listen to her.  But, it is complex.  My mom and I did not get along well as I was growing up.  I didn't feel that I got all of those dear things you want from a parent, from a mother from her.  She called me names, humiliated me, shamed me, and attacked me.  Not constantly, but often enough that I grew up with very low self esteem and fear of making anyone mad.  Her parenting is one aspect of my poor choice in marriage.  Dad tried to protect me from her. I was aware of that and I often avoided her and went with him as much as I possibly could.  I was the cause of many of their fights and friction.  Mom has admitted that she was jealous of me and my relationship with my dad. 

But after dad died, I decided that honoring his wife, my mother, was all I had left to do for him.  I honored my father by building a relationship with my mother.  We have gotten on better through the years.  We became friends after a fashion, although I still, through all of those years, feared when she got upset, because she often took it out on me. I am finally learning to set boundaries with her, which is a little bit too little too late, but better late than never.  I would love to have an honest discussion with my dad about my relationship with my mom. And maybe that wouldn't serve any purpose, but I have so many questions about things that happened and why they happened and what Dad knew.

I have carried Dad with me through the years.  In my marriage I can remember many occasions when I was being berated or accused and I thought, if my dad were alive and I told him this, he would insist that I move home. I know that one way I am assured in God's love is the memory of my father's love for me.   Dad was pretty easygoing. Unless I served him hot dogs, he would eat anything I served.  Dad loved to eat and talk and laugh.  And I would love to hear his laugh just one more time.
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I Looked Over Jordan....

January 13, 2018, 10:00 am
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For my 60th year I wanted to take a pilgrimage to the Holyland.  Things didn't work out and then they really didn't work out and I despaired that I would ever make that pilgrimage.  But, last year when I was choosing parishes, one had a Holyland Pilgrimage advertised. There were a lot of other great things about that parish, but I took the Holyland trip as a sign and became a member of that parish. I signed up for the trip.

And the day is fast arriving.  This past year on top of moving and all of that, I have been preparing to go to the other side of the world and see where Jesus was from.  I get tearful to feel how blessed I am to make this trip.  I am going to Israel and Jordan. I will walk the roads and breathe the air and see the sights.  I will pray.

I look forward to all of it. Someone asked me what I most wanted to see.  I felt I should say Bethlehem or Mount of Olives or something, but I really want to see Capernaum where St Peter's house is thought to be on the Sea of Galilee.  And all of the rest, I want to see all of the rest.  It should be fabulous. I weep that I have this opportunity.  I weep at this blessing.
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Losing Things, Finding Things

January 19, 2018, 9:51 am
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Getting ready for the trip I have had a lot of things to find.  Everything from spare car keys to hand sanitizer.  Some of it I find readily, and some things elude me.  So, I pray.  I lean heavily on the prayers of St. Anthony.  He is probably tired of me by now. I know that I am tired of looking for things.

The root causes of my random wanderings and pawing through boxes is that I am not a terribly organized person.  I am a bit spacey and I keep too many things, slightly short of being a hoarder.  Add to that my moving 3 times in three years, retiring from teaching, moving my mom twice and storing her stuff, and not quite being completely settled in this "new" house.

But as I searched high and low for the lost car key, it occurred to me that losing things and finding them is not a new phenomenon. The lost coin and the lost sheep in the Bible are two parables that people back then and today could and can relate to because everybody is looking for something as some song says....

I found the car key and the hand sanitizer and the million other things I was looking for.  The things I forget, I will do without or replace.  The point isn't how I dress or even how I smell, but the things I see and feel and do on the trip.  I am trying to learn to pack lighter.  Less things to lose.
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New Old Me

January 24, 2018, 10:02 am
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In sme ways I am a rock, a rock head, solid.  In some ways I know right from wrong and up from down.  I don't choose wrong, mostly.  I struggle sometimes to figure out the right, but I seek help and I am getting better at that.  And for a large portion of my life I thought that was enough.  I just shouldn't do wrong.  When faced with a dilema I did nothing.  If I couldn't do nothing I ran or hid or tried to be invisible.  And I tried to save people, to help whether they asked me or not.

I have concluded that there is nothing wrong with doing no wrong, but doing right is better.  And doing right is not trying to save people from themselves or helping when I am not asked.  Doing right is a little risky because there is less control of the situation.  And to do right, I have to actually do something, not isolate, not be invisible.

But, it was lately called to my attention that God doesn't need me to try to fix the world and its people. I can't do it no matter how hard I try.  I was given life to live.  That is a concept, to live.  To figure out what gives me joy and makes me whole.  To be holy doing those things.  I am called to love and joy not right or wrong. To joy.  And I am seeking my joy.
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Lent

January 27, 2018, 10:17 am
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Lent begins on St Valentine's Day and ends (if you count Easter as the end, which it really isn't but humor me) on April Fools Day this year. I am not a spring holiday's person in terms of Valentines or Fools, but it is interesting to note this occurrence.

I have been told that coming back from the Holy Land and then soon going into Lent will bring it all to life.  I am planning on that.
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Pilgrimages

January 30, 2018, 8:49 am
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I have returned home from my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I intend to retell the trip with pictures, but I am jet lagged and catching up on things, so I will check in here until I am ready to give the travelogue.

I have to say that I recommend pilgrimages versus sightseeing trips.  Having 2 priests with us enabled us to have Mass every day and celebrate in some very special places.  Almost everyone worked on friendliness and patience with each other, which would probably not have been true on a purely tourist trip. We had quite and assortment of pilgrims.

I loved it all.  Personally, I would have done less and spent more time in some of the places.  But, that is life, you can't hold onto moments.  Time passes and things change.  Run, run, run.  That is what it is all about, life.  And before you know it, you are done.

I need to re-read Canterbury Tales.  I kept remembering parts of that tale all during the trip.  I am trying to unpack and get back into life.  I have a little eye procedure scheduled in a couple of weeks.  So, I have to get ready for that. 

But, I do intend to tell the tale of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, so that I have the memory and so that I can share it with you.
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What Would Jesus Do?

January 31, 2018, 2:54 pm
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I have never really liked the slogan "What would Jesus do?" I mean, how am I supposed to know what Jesus would do?  And how is that slogan relevant?  But, lately I have had dealings with people who have annoyed me.  They have practiced what to me seems like irresponsible behavior.  I have ended up picking up the slack for them, fixing it.

You might ask, why do I need to fix it?  Because people I care about would be hurt by the persons who let them down.  Because it was possible for me to try to fix it.  I am in the middle of one of the fixes now and we shall see if I am too late to impact things for the good.

I live alone these days and I like alone.  But, I still have to have contact, relations, activities with others, and sometimes these people don't live up to my standards.  I find I want to tell them off or talk about them to others and say the exact nature of their wrongs.  But, it really wouldn't change them.  It really wouldn't fix the current problem.  So, I am avoiding that, the talking to or about them. Except here, I suppose.

I was looking for a slogan to help me deal with me on this upset I feel about the current situation.  The serenity prayer was one such slogan that helped.  But, ultimately, I decided that "What would Jesus do?" was just right.  Do things in love.  Don't criticize or gossip.  Do things in love.
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The Pilgrimage Begins

February 8, 2018, 10:39 am
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At around 60 years old I found myself seeing an oncologist and thinking my life had slipped away.  I had sorrow and regret which surprised me because I would have said that I believed in celebrating everyday and treating each day as a gift.  It can to me that there were things I wanted to do, ways I wanted to live that I had completely ignored.  One of those things was a lifelong desire to visit the Holyland.

Life got in the way.  I recovered from the cancer.  I try not to think about it these days. I changed around my life and retired. I am way closer to 65 than 60 these days. One of the first things on my to do list as a retiree was revival of that dream to walk where Jesus walked.  The parish I was joining had a pilgrimage coming up.  I wouldn't be alone, I would be with future friends.  I would be going with a priest who knew my name.  So, I signed up.  It seemed too good to be true.  It seemed like a miracle.

I don't know if I really completely believed it would happen.  I prepared, but I held my breath.  Without the support of my spiritual director, my siblings, and my friends I probably wouldn't have gone.  I developed an eye problem that concerns me, but it didn't stop me from going.

Anyway, on January 12th I drove over to the church and caught a ride to the airport and with 33 of my closest friends, began the journey of a lifetime.  We flew to Chicago.  The flight was delayed, so we had to hurry to the next gate to catch the flight to Frankfurt.  We made it.  On my way for the pilgrimage of my dreams.
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The Pause

February 18, 2018, 4:05 pm
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Sorry, I was all set to begin my Holy Land telling when I came down with the creeping crud.  After 2 rounds of antibiotics I am feeling semi-better and hoping to begin the journey to Israel on the blog soon.  I was looking at the photos today and anxious to get started with the story. 

But, tonight I have a thing to go to that starts with Adoration, so stories of the Holy Land will have to wait.  I just wanted to check in and say, I think I am still alive and staying that way, even though for a while I was in doubt about that......(exaggeration, I am given to exaggeration.....)  And I haven't forgotten you....
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Arriving in Israel

February 20, 2018, 4:00 pm
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It took a couple of days of travel to get to Israel, time changes, layvers, pat downs in Frankfurt.  I can't explain it.  That is just the way it was. I left on a Tuesday morning, Jan. 12th,  arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 13th.  And it was raining when I arrived in Tel Aviv.  A blessing in a dry land.  Customs went really fast, we were loaded onto a bus a off we went through the afternoon rush hour traffic in Tel Aviv.
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Tel Aviv

February 22, 2018, 1:52 pm
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On January 13, 2018 our pilgrimage group arrived in Te Aviv.  We loaded up on the bus with Maher our driver and Sonia our guide and drove into the the gathering gloom of winter rush hour in Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv looked like any other big city.  Lots of building going on.  Our guide says that there is a shortage of places to live.


The sun was setting as we headed out of town and up the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is always fun to see the foreign equivalents of the name brands like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KYFried Chicken, but we drove on.  



The rain cleared up.  Rush hour looked like any road in any city in the world.  No camels or donkeys on the highway.
We were boked into a Ramada Inn up the coast.  I had a room with a balcony.  Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

This was the view off the balcony in the morning.
And the view as we loaded into the bus to move on for the day.  We were not staying a second night at this hotel.
These were some curious birds.  Maybe ordinary grackels?  Maybe some exotic israeli birds.

So, on Thursday, January 14th our pilgrimage took off to encounter the Lord and to see the Bible in living color.

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Caesarea Maritima

February 23, 2018, 2:26 pm
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The book of Acts, Chapter 12 has especial meaning to me.  My spiritual director read it to me during our first session.  The chains dropped off Peter.  There were parts of my life that made me relate to that story.  It brings tears to my eyes.  I work every day to walk in freedom like Peter.  To walk for the Lord.

Sonia, our guide, periodically had us open our Bibles and read scripture.  That day, at the first place we stopped, the first scripture she had us read was Acts Chapter 12.  God was speaking to me, directly to me.  It was good that I had come there to the Holyland, to Caesarea Maritima.

Caesarea Maritima is a National Park.  There was a little film taking us back in history.  Caesarea was a palace, city built by Herod, the Great, who according to our guide every single time she said his name, she said, who was not so great.  Herod had a palace built over the Sea.  Think about it.  This palace has been here over 2000 years.

I can't really see much from this model photograph, but it does remind me of the lay out of the place.
The picture below was what remains of the prison, court complex.  This is where Paul was held before being sent to Rome as a Roman citizen to be tried there. The Apostle Paul was there.
More of the city, of the palace as it stands today.
More buildings.
There was a well preserved stadium.
There were columns from what is thought to be temples to Roman gods.
Birds live in Herod's palace today.
This is a copy of a stone found here with Pilate's name on it.
Our guide asked for volunteers to sit on some seats near the hippodrome.
She asked us to guess what they were for. 
Toilets.
This is the hippodrome.
Herod's palace is washing into the sea.  This Caesarea is where one of the King Herods died.  Read Acts, chapter 12.
Love the blue of the Mediterranean Sea
Those old Romans knew how to stack up the stones so they would last.  This is seating of the hippodrome.

Soon, we loaded up into our bus and headed inland toward Galilee where we would spend the night.

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Heading North in Israel, Mount Carmel

February 26, 2018, 4:41 pm
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We loaded up quickly after Caesarea Maritima and headed away from the sea. Our bus took us to Mt Carmel, the vineyard of God.
Although it was January, winter, there were flowers blooming.


Below is the chapel of the Carmelites.

The view from the lookout behind and above the chapel was amazing.  Mt Carmel had so many significant events.  But the one that is most well known is the battle Elijah the Prophet had with the prophets of Baal.
As we looked down the mount and across to the other hills, our guide told us the story of the prophets of Baal and Elijah.  To summarize, Elijah won a battle with 400 prophets of Baal (a false god) because their sacrifices were ignored, and God consumed Elijah's sacrifice soaked with prayer and water.  I believe it was from the book of Kings.

Our guide said that this spot below us was the spot for that battle.  She also told us that all the trees had been planted since the inception of Israel.

Our Lady of Mt Carmel in the chapel.
Looking pretty in the garden.

So this day, we had already seen Caesarea Maritima, now at Mt Carmel, and headed to Megaddo for lunch and to see the site of the last battle.
Looking at the hills near Mt Carmel.
The water from the Sea keeps this area from being an arid region.
Just before lunch we arrived at Tel Megado.  Tel means that civilizations were built on top of one another forming what is essentially a hill.  This had been an important site since the dawn of time.

The orange flowers are aloe vera. Hummingbirds were fighting over the flowers.
Megado is on the trail or "road" where roads from Asia, Africa, and Europe met.
Today it is an archaeological site with a kibbutz that runs a restaurant and shop and probably other things.
It had rained, so there were no diggers that day.  Tel Megado is supposed to be the site of the last battle, Armageddon.


We ate lunch there, the ever present chickpea felafels and salad in pita bread. Alternatives to that were schnitzel (breaded chicken and salad in pita bread) and schwerma (grilled meat, salad and sauce in pita).  And lest I forget, this lunch came with fries inside the pita. This was the preferred lunch because the alternative was an all you can eat buffet which was expensive and too much food.

So, if you are counting, we saw three places and lunch and still had the afternoon to "kill."  I discovered something about myself that morning.  I am not the best sightseeing person.  I would rather putter and spend more time in some places.  And skip archaeological sites that didn't tell me much. But, part of the pilgrimage is to go where the tour takes me.  So, I did.

And I loved the next place.

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Megiddo, Nazareth

March 4, 2018, 8:12 pm
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Looking from Tel Megiddo across the valley you see Nazareth up on that hill.  I was surprised to see it so high up that hill since there was the beautiful valley below.  Our guide told us that every single tree that you see in Israel was planted.  They are trying to restore the land.
Also from Megiddo you could see Mt Tabor where the Transfiguration is said to have occurred. Our plan was to go up Mt Tabor, but since it was winter they closed early and we had somewhere else to be first.  There is some sort of monastery on the top of Mt Tabor.
So, Nazareth on the hill on the left and Mt Tabor, the hill on the right.  Jesus' neighborhood.  I think about the small village I am from in Illinois and the neighboring towns that I am so familiar with and imagine Jesus in His neighborhood.
The bus park is below us the hills across the way.  I have a good lens on that camera.  You can see the crops at the kibbutz.  We saw bananas being raised, date palms, and various small crops.  Israel is 95% self supporting for food.
The little patches of water are fish farms. Again, Nazareth is on the hill on the left, Mt Tabor in the middle.  This view is from Megiddo, the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa.
We climbed up Megiddo.  The archaeologists have been busy.
They were not working the day we were there. It was winter and it had rain.
And after lunch we loaded up on the bus and headed over to Nazareth where we were scheduled to have Mass. These days, I am told, most of the residents of Nazareth are not Christian or Jewish.  They practice Islam. Nazareth is an Israeli city, not occupied territory.  We had to park down a bit from the church.  Then we hurried up to the church our guide thought we were headed, but it turned out to be St. Joseph's house.  So, we went back down the hill a short distance to the Church of the Annunciation.
Where we had Mass.  It felt like we had Mass in Jesus' house.
I don't remember the particulars about the church.  It wasn't that old, but it was very beautiful.
When we looked down from where we were for Mass there was this pit.  Climbing down the stairs, we could see the grotto on the Annunciation.  Mary's house.
When we were there, there was no one else.  Lucky to be there on a winter afternoon.
Looking back at the rest of the church.
I climbed down to the grotto.  The Latin words on the altar say--The Word was made flesh here.
Here.  Our priest said that sometimes they had been able to say Mass down there in Mary's Grotto.
The outside of the church was striking.
Beauty on beauty.
And looking up at that dome I took a picture of from inside.
And we loaded up the bus and headed out.  I caught a picture of Mt. Tabor as we left Nazareth.
And although we didn't stop, we drove through Cana.  There seemed to be several stores selling wine.
On the road toward the Sea of Galilee.
But, first, we had to drop two of our number at the hospital.  One lady had broken her wrist.  They did a traditional plaster cast which was heavy, but when she got home, the doctor said it was set correctly.  The other lady was severely car/ bus sick.  She got some IV fluids.  Both were able to rejoin us that evening or the next day.
A scene along the road. And just over the hill is the Sea of Galilee.

Our guide told us that it is about 40 miles from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee. The storms brew up on the Sea of Galilee because moisture from the Mediterranean Sea comes up this valley. So, this is the neighborhood that Jesus grew up in.  This was home.
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Galilee

March 6, 2018, 9:00 am
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So, as the sun was going down after the hospital stop, we headed to our hotel on the Sea of Galilee.
This was my first view of the "sea." The Sea of Galilee is a lake, fresh water.  Sometimes called Lake Tiberius.
Before dark we arrived at our second hotel in Israel.  The U Boutique which is a resort with all the amenities of the usual resort.  A beach, and swimming pool, not open in the winter.  They served a lovely spread at breakfast and dinner.
There were cookies and water in the room for us.
And the resort was in an ordinary Israeli town with shops and restaurants.
The next morning we were scheduled for a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee.
There were problems with the boat, so we had to wait for a second one.  It was cold and spitting rain.
The Sea of Galilee does not take bad pictures.  It was beautiful, a beautiful place.
The Golan Heights are across the lake.
And boats, mostly for tourists, some for fishing.
This one was too big for our little group of about 30.
And what kind of bird?  I don't know.  The guide told us that the Sea of Galilee is a flyway from Europe to Africa.
Beautiful clouds over Galilee.
It was a morning to experience the Sea.
And God sent us a rainbow. The rainbow was about over Magdala.
And another photo of the same.
Looking from the boat which flew an American flag for us.
The water while it rained on us.
And we came through the rain.
Looking back at our boat after we docked.
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I Beg Your Pardon.....

March 24, 2018, 5:48 pm
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So, where have I been?  I have a good excuse, even a doctor's excuse, if you need one.  I developed a macular hole which was diagnosed right after Christmas.  I was really afraid that it might scuttle my trip to the Holyland.  But, God in His mercy had another plan.  I went to the Holyland and planned to have the surgery soon after my return.  Then I got the flu.  I had a hard time getting over the flu.  It took me a month to get completely well.  Then I had the surgery on my eye.

I was face down for 5 days.  I have dealt with a bubble in my visual field that is almost gone as of today.  I feel like I am finally getting back to normal.  And working on taxes......

So, when I get the taxes done, or need a break from that, I will be right back at the Holyland series.....
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Around Galilee, Sermon on the Mount

April 14, 2018, 4:27 pm
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Sorry, sorry, sorry....there was eye surgery healing nicely) and Easter and some stuff with my mom....but I think I am back.  I will aim to finish up the Holyland one of these days.

Nobody walked on water the day we crossed the lake.  And I reference that, because the Gospel reading at Mass today as I write this included an account of Jesus walking on water.  The boat we road on flew an American flag for us.  During the time we were there, Israel was very happy with Americans because our President had announced that we were moving our embassy to Jerusalem.


We disembarked at the museum with the ancient boat that was uncovered from the time of Jesus.  Unfortunately, it was closed because we were too early.  The shop was open though.
I am not sure what this statue means, but it was outside the museum and shop.
Looking back at the museum.
And looking again.  It was exotic to see the palm tree there since I come from the snowy middle of America where palm trees don't grow.
After crossing the Sea of Galilee, we went up the the Mount of the Beatitudes.  There is a beautiful church and garden up there.  And John Paul II visited this place when he came to the Holyland.
Looking toward the Sea of Galilee from the Mount.
I think I didn't get the most important information on this photo. It was a plaque in the church.
This is the church.  It was on the smallish side.
Around the garden were quotes from scripture.
I took pictures of flowers.  It was January 19th.
Lovely white roses.  Maybe it is too hot for them in the summer?  I wonder.
And I have no idea what this flower is.  But, pretty in pink.
Still, the Sea drew my attention.  It is a lake, just a large lake, but in ancient times there wasn't a word to distinguish between a lake and a sea.
And still looking at Galilee.
This was the field where Jesus is said to have fed the 5,000.  It was sprinkling as you can see on the bus windows. 

This was one long day and I have decided to break it into parts so that the post doesn't get too long. 
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Capernum and Lunch

April 15, 2018, 5:24 pm
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I most wanted to see Capernum in the Holyland.  I can't even really fully explain why. I wanted to see where Peter was from.  I wanted to see the place Jesus made as home base.  And for some reason that I don't fully understand, to me, seeing Capernum made it real, all of it.  I could have spent days there, not that there was so much to see, but just because I felt something there.

So, that Friday morning we headed down the Mount of the Beatitudes to Capernum.  Capernum was no small fishing village.  Our guide told us that at the time of Christ the city was big for the day.  It seems like I remember that there were something like 20 synagogues.  I may have that number wrong, but anyway, Capernum wasn't a little one donkey town as I might have imagined.
Piles of rocks that were once houses, that is what it is today.
Modern walkways over the rocks and the digging for we pilgrims to walk on as we tired to take it in.
But, first we had Mass.  This shot is looking down into Peter's house from inside the church built over it.  Throughout the pilgrimage it seems that I remember rushing to get to the places where we were scheduled to have Mass. Luckily we brought our own priests, so Mass never started without us.
Still trying to picture Peter's house.  I could see the crosses carved on the wall, but I couldn't photograph them  Too much glass between us.
The glass didn't enclose the house below like a greenhouse.  It just protected it from us.
That was the best shot I got looking into Peter's house and still I can't see much.
At each corner were antheriums.
At the Mass at Capernum the homily was on friendship.  Jesus was with his friends there.  My friend L was in her last days, but I was not able to find my voice to bring her name up for prayer intentions at that Mass.
Walking below the church and looking at the outside wall of Peter's house.
Just a couple of houses away from Peter's house was a synagogue.  The dark stones on the bottom are thought to be from 2000 years ago.  The building on top, while still ancient, was newer than the time of Christ.
Another view of the synagogue.
The old rocks of the really ancient synagogue.
The newer pillars.  People were inserting prayer intentions in the wall like they do at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Front view of the synagogue in Capernum.
This was not Peter's house, but houses like his. Our guide said that the reason the couple was betrothed for a year was so the man could haul stones down to the family house and build a room.
And the piles of rocks that once were houses went on and on. Capernum was a big place.  We were not permitted to go out there among all the houses.
This is a picture from the synagogue looking toward the church above Peter's house where we had Mass.
If only I could read this, it explains the synagogue.
Looking out at the city of Capernum.
Standing below the church where Peter's house was.
Somebody who was there.
 Looking out to the Sea of Galilee. Capernum was right on the lake.  Peter was a fisherman after all.
A better view of the lake.
And I took lots of pictures of the Sea of Galilee and stared at it lots and lots.  I hear inside my head, Jesus was there on a boat, walking on the water, fishing, sleeping....
And next they took us for a special lunch.  It was Friday, so we had fish.
Along with the fish were the usual sides, Hummus, corn, and salady things.
But the main course was tilapia which lives in the Sea of Galilee.  We were served a whole fish.  It is called Peter's fish.  The guide told us that is because tilapia are known to hold rocks or anything in their mouths.  When the tax was owed and Jesus told Peter to pay it and the fish had a coin it its mouth, it was tilapia.  So we had a whole bony fish and the ever present fries.  Fries were everywhere in the Holyland. They put them inside the pita bread with falafel which seemed odd.  But, maybe that is the way they thought we did it.
And after lunch we still had places to go.  The kibbutz around the Sea of Galilee had fruit trees planted.
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