Lourdes, January 2020

On Easter Sunday 2018, as I was praying, sending love and light to a very ill friend, I kept thinking of Lourdes and how the two of us should plan a trip to this Holy City nestled in the Pyrenees, in the southwest corner of France. There, I felt would be a good place to continue our endless conversations on the power of love and forgiveness and pray against all odds for a better tomorrow in hope of a miracle. How I had wanted to take her to Lourdes! Unfortunately, my friend transitioned before we could realize our dream and I promised myself that at the first opportunity, I would take her to Lourdes with me, carrying her in the cradle of my heart.

During the summer of 2019, as I contemplated traveling during the holidays, my first thought was to spend the first days of the new decade in a Holy, Sacred Place. The new decade had to be a marked departure from the previous one. And so, the first of the year found me landing in Toulouse early mid-morning where I would rent a car and drive through the Pyrenes to arrive at my hotel in Lourdes by mid-afternoon. The town was very quiet, eerily empty with lots of restaurants and hotels closed during the winter season. You could imagine what it was like at the height of the Marian season when, between May and October, the City plays host to over five million visitors the world over. From my hotel room terrace, I could see the River Gave and the sanctuary in the background. Idyllic.

Excited, I perused through the schedule of the evening services at the grotto and looked for the next open restaurant for I was ravenous. There were only two locations open at this time of the year near my hotel. I elected to try the Basque restaurant as I had never before tried Basque cuisine. The other restaurant, with a 2-star Michelin to its credentials, would have to wait until tomorrow. The grilled lamb was exquisite. I topped it off with a “Baba au Rhum” (french rum cake) to complete my dinner. With a full stomach, I decided to walk to the sanctuary. Near the site, I met other pilgrims that were eager to engage in conversation. A sweet older lady offered me two of her candles. It was time for the rosary at the grotto.

More importantly, I stayed in silent contemplation and meditation for what must have been over an hour, pouring all my hopes for my children, my mother, my siblings, my extended family, my deceased friend, and ill cousin at the feet of Mary, Mother of God, and lifting in prayers the many who had entrusted me with their wishes, requests and pleas knowing I would bring them to Lourdes.

The best prayer, however, is the prayer of gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity of this trip, my recovered health, my life journey including my safe travels to Lourdes, where, without distractions, I could escape the noise of the world and just Be. Prayers of gratitude, but also prayers for hope and faith. Prayers for the courage to do what is necessary to bring about His kingdom on earth now and not in some distant future and with the promise of an uncertain afterlife. Prayers for world peace.

The next day, I woke up early and spent the entire day at the sanctuary. Being in nature and near the water has a soothing effect on me. I lit a large candle, bathed in the waters, and prayed some more. There, I made the promise to do my part in spreading Joy, acting with intentionality and purpose and to be more forgiving and understanding of others.

That evening, I went to the Michelin starred local where next to my table sat a couple on vacation. These two men live in England and were vacationing in the Basque Region of Spain and France. When I told them that I had just returned from England, there ensued a long and animated conversation on England, the United States and the parallel between the two countries. We were decrying the tribal intolerance that seems to sweep the world these days, but I reminded them that the promise of a better tomorrow was already here. We know there is hope when a Black woman who originates from Haiti and lives in the United States of America meets and enjoys a stimulating three-hour conversation with a middle age gay couple from England, in Lourdes of all places. During the entire time, we purposefully set aside our perceived differences to appreciate our collective human experience and enjoy the pleasure of a chance encounter.

There is hope for a better world. And not just in Lourdes. There, we gather to pray for the courage to see others through divine eyes and work collectively to transform this hope into our new reality.