Tourist -

it's easier to say than pilgrim.

Not linguistically 

but conversationally.

How to explain that my trip to Iona 

is, 

in reality, 

part of my pilgrimage... 

without sounding 

like a total religious 

whack job!

A pilgrim and a tourist

might have the same itinerary

but the pilgrim is on

a sacred journey

in which God is encountered

through places,

people 

and situations.

A tourist 

sees sights, 

discovers new places,

learns interesting facts,

takes photographs

and accumulates souvenirs.

A pilgrim

gains insights

and discerns new truths

about oneself.

A pilgrim

travels with the expectation

that the one who returns

is not the same person

who set out.

A pilgrim

sets out 

open to the possibility

of having identity and faith

challenged.

A pilgrim 

allows time 

for holy idleness.

The outcome of a pilgrimage

is the transformation 

that takes place 

inside the person;

with impressions imprinted

on the soul,

not just the memory 

of a digital camera.

I am a pilgrim.

(Although I do expect 

to have plenty of images

on my camera when I return)