BY RAMIRO MOLINA
I’ve had to travel four weeks, five time zones from Miami to Jamaica back to Miami. From Miami to San Diego back to Miami. From Miami to Rome, to the Greek Isles, Malta to end in Barcelona. To then start a week in Spain visiting family.
I ended up in a little church (not so little by USA standards) in a village called Singuenza in Castilla La Mancha in the south of Spain.
It was in this church, really in the Chapel, where I took some time after taking many pictures, that I sat down to reflect and speak to God.
This is a scene you only see in movies from Old Europe. This Church from want I could tell was from the 1400 to 1700’s. The age of the church, does not make me closer to His presence, as I always feel His presence. But this place was different, more special, more sacred, more... Holy. I don’t know why, cause on this trip I had seen and visited quite a few churches throughout the Greek Isles, Malta, Barcelona and other parts of Spain. But this place spoke to me. I sat down and started taking to Him. There was me and another lady with a plastic grocery bag. Before I knew it, the woman left and when I got up and turned around, I saw the priest in the confessional. He startled me but I knew I was good as I had already spoken to Papa. Well It was there that I sat and all I could say was: Thank You!!!
That’s all that came out. So many miles and so many places in the last month. You’ve brought me here. None of this was planned, this last minute trip to this village and the overnight stay at the castle had just been gifted to us and I was still trying to wrap my arms around that. After a few minutes it came out. All of the worry and stress I had been carrying on my left shoulder which were pushing me down for months and was causing a lot of pain. Which now really did not bother me. Oh did I mention we were spending the night at a castle that had been gifted to us? So this church was about a mile walk down hill from the Castle. Remember you have to walk back up hill. Which was a bit if a struggle, but after what I had witnessed you better believe I was going to walk it with out a question or complaint. So here is what came to me at this church while I was speaking to God. He didn’t speak via a burning bush. But yet his words through my heart and into my head.
"Ramiro here is what I want you to know:
I know you are grateful to me. But you need to realize, and think about all of the thoughts that have come to you in the last four weeks of travel:
Patience
Mindfulness
Presence
Intentional
The importance of Intentionality
Trust:
In God
In self
In Ayna
In my ability and intelligence
In Family and friends
In love In Family
In Love In Friends
In the impact one can make on another persons life
The impact another person can make on my life
Love and the impact it makes
Generosity
The receiving of Generosity from others
The impact of helping others
It took me over 5,000 miles of travel to realize these things! These are things that I should have realized at home. But I’ve been so caught up in life for so many years, that my filter has been blocked.
Thankfully, over the last 6 plus years, God has cleared my filter to see those things He needed and wanted me to see that were most Important and high on the priority list.
I’ve heard that the “Camino De Santiago” is a pilgrimage and walk that is life changing. Although we didn’t make the walk, we visited a few places that are part of the walk. I do feel that this trip has been life changing.
I kept telling Ayna, "this feels like a Honey Moon. Four weeks together with out an argument and fully present the entire time? This has not happened In almost 29 years of marriage!"
So yes, this has been different. Not sure if it was because of Hope4Life, Papa, maturity or old age. I don’t care. It’s bout damn time I figured it out!
So, today on the eve before we fly home. I just want to say Thank You!! To who you may ask?
Ayna
Aryana
Chris
Alysen
Michael
Sergi
Ezra
Ania
Ehren
Kareni
Magda
Pío Sr
Lakhi
Giovana
Giorgio
Gigi
Renato
Natalia
These folks have all made a difference in where I am today each in different ways.
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