All 20 of this fall’s Living Stones pilgrimage group arrived on time, doing well, and still smiling. Our bus ride into Bethlehem took a while as we shared the road with literally thousands of Israelis streaming toward Jerusalem for the great processional celebration of Sukkoth there tomorrow. The Holy Land Hotel in Bethlehem welcomed us royally with maqluba, a traditional Palestinian dinner. Around the tables and then as a group in the hotel’s “Jerusalem Room,” our tired group enjoyed beginning to get to know each other on this journey we will share.

Watch this space, bookmark it, and come back often over the next two weeks. Starting tomorrow group members will be sharing their own stories and photos from the holy places and grace-filled people we’ll be encountering.

~ Joan Deming