Whether a travel trailer (I prefer the term caravan), or a motorhome, "full-timing" as their particular lingo suggests, means they usually have no permanent residence. Many of these MDNs will tell you they sold their home and bought their "rig". They speak of the lack of property taxes and upkeep on a house; of all the new friends they meet in their journeys. Yet there is a down side they will also tell you: instead of the property taxes they have rising fuel costs and repairs on their rigs. They also miss the long term friendships that can only develop over time and proximity.
We have a caravan that takes us on occasional outings. It gives us a respite from the long winters when the garden is sleeping and the homestead is quiet. It is on these trips in the caravan parks that we meet the full-timers. They are full of stories and inquisitiveness but they also seem to be somewhat adrift. No roots, no neighbors, no sense of belonging to a larger community other than that found in the faceless cyberspace. I wonder how deep their loneliness goes? Every one of them seem to express that desire to be a part of something more permanent.
The same can be said for many folks today who though they live in one place, are lonely and do not feel to be a part of a permanent and supportive community of people. Some are parish hoppers: people who do not settle in one parish and try to develop a relationship with that parish community. They just wander from one parish to the next, looking for something that makes them feel good for a time. Then they move on. They are spiritual nomads.
God is the one true Permanence in our lives. He is always there for us, we need only trust Him. He always cares for us, we need only to have faith in His Mercy.
Turn off the telly and the smart phone. Shut down the computer and find your best reading chair. Sit still awhile and develop a close relationship with Christ. Read your Bible every day for 20-30 minutes (Pope Benedict XVI has strongly encouraged this practice). Talk with God about what you have read and about your life. Listen to Him. Not only will you develop a deeper love for Our Lord but it will transform you into a holy love of your neighbor as well.
2 comments:
I tuck in at my sewing desk and do my devotionals, pray and listen. Seriously sister, were it not for my online friends I would have very few contacts. No family visits, only rarely a neighbor or the pastor. But I am content 99% of the time. sometimes I long for a loving family, kids, grand kids but my life is what it is and I do feel blessed.
I enjoy your blog and agree with the immense blessigns of time in Holy Scripture. I applaud your sincerity and valor.
En los corazones de Jesus y Maria,
Lora Goulet
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