ElizabethJane
03-07-10, 19:02
My son and I have just returned from the Bradwell Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage starts in the village of Bradwell -on -sea Essex. There the procession moves off and walks the two or so miles to St Peter's by the wall for a large open air service. This is where St Cedd arrived by boat and established the first Christian Church in England. The guest speaker was the Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu Archbishop of York. I had been friends with John when I was a teenager and my hubs and I had been invited to his Inauguration in 2007. I had a considerable amount of anxiety before the event. I haven't driven that far about an hour from our house in a long time. What about the loos at these events? Well there weren't enough loos but we queued and I suppose needed them less often . It has been blisteringly hot here today but we took loads of drink and they were giving away free water as we arrived. It was difficult in the heat but there service was lively and we walked to the beach and to the 'Othona' Community. There were probably about two thousand people there like us many more eager to hear John speak. I re-dedicated my life to God and we left on a spiritual high. I did manage to speak to John and he met my son. The most amazing thing was I coped with the day drove all the way there and back and dealt with my anxieties without running away from them. I am exhausted now but I am feeling so good. EJ.:D