Longing for Lourdes

Another very poor night of sleep. A friend calling from the U.S.A woke me at 3:00 AM and a nightmare woke me again at 4:30. I stumbled into the morning- as I so often do- dishelved, sullen and filled with anxiety.

Now, on a tour bus heading north, Lourdes is gone but not forgotten. Last night, one last intimate Rosary in the grotto and a couple more treatments of the miraculous water before starting the sorrowful job of packing.

I feel inside me an ache and a longing to go back to that place of Bernadette.

I am reminded of Our Lady's words to her.

I cannot promise you happiness in this world, only in the next.