Day One Vacation

Leaving for vacation on a bright sunny cool morning. Our first stop, sort of a travel ritual is at Casey’s for gas, coffee and a doughnut which we share. It signals for us a different pace, We say our traveler’s prayer and we are off to commune with one another, our Creator and the creation,

The fields along I-80 lie prepared, rich brown soil awaiting the sun and rain to burst the seed, send down roots and push sprouts to the surface. Contented cattle graze on rich green grass while others bask in the warmth of the sun. The traffic whizzes by, our 70 mph speed not being sufficient for their journey, but ample for us.

The Thomas Merton quote from Terry Hershey’s blog today was perfect:“Everything has already been given. What we need is to live into it.” It is certainly what I believe, and in my best moments try to live. This mirrors for me the whole concept of vacation. It is a time to rest on the journey; to store up memories and experiences that will refresh the spirit so that one can return to the normal routine renewed. To this end I usually try to plan a vacation that reconnects me with friends and family and includes opportunities that stretch my mind and imagination.

For lunch we stop at the Jubilee Café, Kickapoo, IL. One of Illinois’ best kept secrets. The food is always good, the same waitresses we had on our first visit seven years ago and continues to be “cash only”. We were introduced to it by Fr. Gabriel a monk from St. Bede Abbey in Peru, IL. The main attraction for him, beside it’s good mid-western fare, is the homemade gooseberry pie served with vanilla ice cream. Sound strange? It is amazing! The tartness of the gooseberry, mouthwatering short pastry crust offset by the creamy sweet vanilla flavor has to be savored to be believed. The blue cheese dressing on their salad is another must!

Fully satisfied by a good meal, good memories and of course pie, we set off along Interstate 74 with its unremarkable scenery. Unremarkable that is until we stopped briefly and encountered a display of photographs by artist Larry Kanfer. His work lifts up the IL country side from “unremarkable” to significant as he reveals the magnificence of prairie and farmland. His words and images changed immediately my view of the the panorama along the highway. Where before it was flat and ordinary now I saw it’s depth and uniqueness. I saw the way in which earth and sky met on the distant horizon in creative union. As a storm brewed I no longer saw flat boring strips of land but unencumbered skyscapes, roiling clouds, rippling furrows, and resting cattle.

Following the storm the sky burst forth with ascension images, pockets of light reaching down to earth - only the figure of Christ absent.