A Sabbatical Journey sits on a shelf, the pile from 2023, a green three-ringed binder stuffed full of itinerary plans from weeks of preparation for the three-month sabbatical, May, June, July focused on new places mixed with revisited haunts of the past. The binder bulges from brochures, travel guides, maps, reservations, confirmation codes, and my leather journal wrapped in its strap, pages of personal reflection held for safe keeping. Years of anticipation. Months of planning. Savored days actualized as moments unfold in time’s flow, now disheveled in a heap that needs dusted. How can paper pages capture or share the fullness of life’s reality, tones of conversations, embraces of hugs to greet and depart friends along the way? How can metal clips contain special highlights that shimmer in the depths of mind and heart, like the cool shade in the understory of a California Redwood forest, the tree top canopy so high they can’t be seen; the relentless wind of the Minnesot…
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