Last day in Scotland

The day dawned cool, gray, and misty, despite a forecast calling for sun and warmer temps. By the end of the day it had warmed to, perhaps, 65 degrees, though the gray skies remained.

We got a slow start, lingering over coffee and catching up on two days' worth of blogging. And here we are again!

Museums seemed to be the order of the day ... that and a wee bit of last-minute shopping. The Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland, in the Old Town, have exhibits focusing on the prehistory and history of Scotland. The art gallery on Princes Street has a wonderful collection featuring works by many Scottish and other artists. Featured today was an exhibit of etching by Rembrandt from the gallery's permanent collection ... ones not shown at the Art Institute in Chicago. Joan, Ruth, and Vivian visited the National Portrait Gallery on the other side of town. They also went to the modern art museum, where they discovered a painting of the north beach on Iona.

Many of us attended the noon worship at St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile. It was a brief service of prayer and scripture ... not even a hymn to involve the congregation. The gospel reading from Matthew told of Jesus' calming the raging sea. One of the windows in the cathedral depicts exactly that story and was the focal point for Maureen as she listened. One phrase from the prayer stood out especially: "Give us, Lord, more wisdom before we speak and more understanding as we listen."

In looking about the cathedral, we noticed that the Thistle Chapel was closed for reconstruction, but as we looked through the gate we saw that the floor was inlaid with marble from Iona. Each time we discover some reminder of Iona, we realize more fully both how influential and important that tiny island has been in the development of Christianity in the British Isles and in our own spiritual growth.

We had dinner together at the Mussel Inn, down the street from our hotel, and except for a few die-hards, returned to our rooms early to pack. Our bus picks us up at 6:45 in the morning for transfer to the airport to begin our journey home. We are ready to be back with family and friends, but not quite so ready to face the realities of jobs and laundry. So, farewell from Scotland and know we will see you soon.

May the road rise to meet us,
May the wind be always at our backs,
May the sun shine warm on our faces,
May we be held safely in the palm of God's hand.

Peace and Love,

The Appletiona Pilgrims