Cliffs of Moher

Well, this is it. Our pilgrimage is winding down, and our last full day in Ireland is drawing to a close. This trip was the opportunity of a lifetime, and it was truly an experience to be had. It has been a great opportunity to explore the more spiritual side of myself on a journey across a much simpler country than my own, one with a fantastically rich culture and a wide range of history, just sitting out there, waiting for people to come along and tap into it.

Kind of tacky sounding, but nonetheless, our trip was characterized by a close and personal experience with everything we saw and everyone we met. We enjoyed our privacy and the space it offered us to contemplate ourselves, our places in the world, and our relationship to God.

Today was a slight change of pace, as it was mostly a day of travel. The main attractions that we saw were the Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower. The Cliffs were a truly fantastic sight to behold. When you stand on top of the cliff, looking down a breathtaking distance, you feel a sense of looking into the heart of God, and you can almost feel your personal meaning and that of humanity. This meaning varies for every person in the world, which is part of what makes life in general so special. We all have our own path, a course that is unique to everyone. We all must make our own journey, with many stops along the way to provide insight into our conscious.

The Cliffs were a perfect example of one of these stops, and from the conversations I've had with the other members of our group, I can tell that it will be a memory to keep for years. The Cliffs, while a shared stop along our paths, meant something different to each and everyone who sees them. I cannot speak for others on this matter, but I can say that the Cliffs had a boatload of meaning to me. We spent an hour at the Cliffs, giving me adequate time to continue my thoughts on themes from the rest of the trip. It was a great opportunity for all of us to stop and think over life in the presence of one of its wonders.

The other place that we visited was a very brief, yet still significant, visit to Bunratty Castle. This Castle is a very important place to one of my peers, Ellie, since her family used to own it. It was a very beautiful place to see, and a wonderful part of history. It must be fantastic to have such a visible sign of one's own history.

Back to my metaphor of God's paths for us, this castle was a very important stop for Ellie, and meant a lot to her. However, it meant a lot to the rest of the group as well. It encouraged me to ask more about my own Irish roots, for one. Knowing something about one's family and seeing it are different on great levels, so it was a touching stop to make.

And that was our day. The rest of the time we spent in transit, with little else of note. This trip has been one of the greatest I have ever taken, and I'm very proud to say that I was a member. I have learned much about myself, and I believe that everyone on the trip has as well.

Now, with our revelations carried with us in our hearts, we return to our busy and preoccupied lives. I personally hope I can carry what I have learned with me forever, and not lose it in the onslaught of day-to-day life. I give thanks to God for bringing me together with these fantastic people as a group to have a tremendous experience, and I hope to have more along my path.

-Max