Walls, Cliffs and Community
Well I started my day in Normandy and ended in Brittany, a western province of France that has an Irish influence. They even wave the Irish flag and speak a different French with a hint of Celtic. I toured beaches, walled cities, and cliffs today.
I started out at a beach where there were just a few people walking or fishing on it. It was peaceful.
Then I headed to Saint Malo, a walled city on the coast. It was a busy little town with lots of people and noise. It was remarkable seeing how they fortified their city many years ago. I was even able to climb up on the wall and walk around the entire city. This got me thinking, walls are to protect but so often we build walls to keep ourselves too protected. No one likes pain, so if history is correct, if I let person A or scenario A or dream A into my life it’s going to cause pain. So up comes a wall to keep those issues at bay.
It is smart to build walls to protect yourselves, but just like in every city they have gates. To allow people to come and go. Don’t build up walls without having some gates in your life. Opening yourself may cause hardship, but it may also bring joy that you would have never found locked behind your four walls.
I then went to Dinan, another walled village, but this one once again was peaceful. So peaceful I let myself get lost in the streets with just my umbrella to keep me company as it started to rain.
Lastly I found Cap Fehrel which is on a tip of a peninsula where you can see the Emerald Coast. It got me thinking of Ireland, but nothing can compare to the sights of Ireland. The cliffs were beautiful, the greenish blue sea was refreshing, and the atmosphere was relaxed and quaint.
Cliffs are like walls as well. People build houses on cliffs to keep out the riffraff. It’s interesting how much God showed me today with just walking around these walls and cliffs.
So, you have to protect yourself…but don’t let your protection be a detriment. Find a happy medium. Who knows, someone may knock your walls down, but someone who entered through the gate may be there to help you rebuild. It’s better to go through life in community. Marriages don’t make community. Monks live in community.
So find nice walls to keep you safe, but live in a community behind those walls.
Peace
Tomorrow…more villages and beaches and cliffs…I think
