A Journey Home

      There is a great program on EWTN hosted by Marcus Grodi titled "The Journey Home".  It involves interviewing people who have had a moment of grace and conversion and have "come home" to the Catholic Faith.

    This past Sunday afternoon I took a journey home of a different sort.  I travelled to Uniontown to our family home to visit with my sister, Jane, and to stay overnight (my first "overnight" away from my new retirement residence since moving in).   Both Sunday and Monday were beautiful late summer days here in Western Pennsylvania, and the hour long drive home was relaxing.  We caught up with the news, went out for a good meal, watched some of the tube, and had a restful night's sleep.

     On Monday I took Janie to a doctor's appointment and we then decided to take a drive up into the mountains.  Our mountains in this part of the Commonwealth are not high, nor rugged, but older, tree covered and beautiful.  We headed to The Stone House, an old inn along Route 40 (The National Road), a route built in the early days of this country which followed paths and roadways that were established in the mid 1700's.

The Braddock Inn

     The Stone House was not open for lunch, so we went a few miles further and had lunch at The Braddock Inn, located adjacent to Braddock's Grave, an historical monument marking the death and place of burial of General Edward Braddock of the British forces in the New World.   General Braddock, who lived from 1695 to July 13, 1755 when he was killed in a battle between the British forces and those of the French and Native Americans near Great Meadows.  This was a part of the conflict known in this country as the French and Indian War (1754-1765) and in Europe as the Seven Years War between France and Brittan.  It was all about control of land and commerce rights in the wilderness of the New World.  Interesting history in this part of the world.

     General Braddock died in the arms of George Washington in his days when he worked for the British.  He was buried in an unmarked grave in the middle of the rough new road that was cut out the forest, so that his grave would not be found and desecrated in any way.

    So, our day was relaxing and enjoyable, our meals were great, and my journey home was, as always, a blessing.

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     While the weather was beautiful in Western Pennsylvania over the weekend, it was anything but in Texas.  I encourage you to pray for those affected by the unbelievable flooding there, and if you are able, please be generous in your charity with your gift of help, in whatever way you feel called.  In our Diocese a special second collection is set to happen soon, and Catholic Charities always does an outstanding job of reaching out t those in need.  Please be generous.