Don’t you love when things come full circle? This painting has returned to me after 15 years. It was a part of my Peace or Drama music and art project. So many layers of meaning here – Lori Putnam painted it for my song, “Do You Remember.”
Here’s what Lori wrote about the painting in my Peace or Drama book:
Along the southeastern coast of Italy, just at the “spur” of the boot, there is an area referred to as the Gargano. This was a particularly beautiful day with a warm breeze rushing up from the Adriatic Sea. We followed the path of St. Francis of Assisi’s pilgrimage and came upon this big 12th-century farmhouse surrounded by old trees. Perhaps it was the reflected light from the deep red poppies that caused the sky this day to appear more bluish-violet in nature.
Travel is a meditation in and of itself. Our senses come alive and our spirits revive. I recently finished reading a book that my mother gave me, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. In the back pages there was a Q & A with the author, and I was struck by how she described her idea of a perfect day:
Waking in the old town, grabbing an espresso, then slowly walking the narrow streets until I come across some subtle reminder that life has been lived in that place for millennia. I would let my fingertips trace the contours of colored tile, or faded fresco or sculptured stone, and imagine a woman, about my age, doing the same a hundred years before, three hundred years before, a thousand years before. I would wonder how our lives are different and how they are the same.
She, too, is talking about Italy. Not as a resident, but as a traveler. This is how I feel about Portugal, and what I want most to convey when leading people around the southern coast.
I describe my trip as a wellness journey, and sense of place plays the biggest role. I was first inspired to lead tours after reading Traveling with Pomegranates, a memoir by southern author Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor as they travel Europe together:
Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys…..the voyage will lead us to whole new continents of depth and meaning.…[If] we keep going, we might even come full circle, but with a whole new consciousness.
Full circle – I am really feeling this phrase today. A friend and colleague just invited me to offer yoga meditations for her tour of southern Italy in June, which starts a week after my May retreat ends. I am over the moon (another “circle” idiom of note).
So excited to see the latest issue of Sutton Place Social magazine, with news and photos of the retreat in Portugal. Morris the cat got his own feature, too!
Yes, 2026 dates are set – is this your year to visit Portugal? Come solo, with a friend, or even bring your own group (and set your own date). I’m flexible!
I’ve also updated the accolades page with recent quotes from the latest retreat group. Thank you for your lovely comments. I’m encouraged to shine on in Portugal!