“A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy space/place…The real pilgrimage is within.” ~Bela Shah
I and Trinh have been on our own healing journey since we last part way in Phnom Penh. As we saw and sensed the fragmentation of our world manifested in poverty, income inequality, and abuse of power from our service projects, we've realized that this is a mirror of the broken and disconnected worlds from within. As people of war, we carried wounds unhealed from across generations. Thus, from within we must begin to find a place of wholeness and healing that is the anchor for everything we were meant to do.
My mentor Bela always remind me that "the real pilgrimage is within." But how can one do so? We didn't quite know how, but we listened to that little voice inside our heart and we followed its guidance. We took this mission to heart and set out to journey within and meet the memories, emotions, questions, and dreams that have been suppressed or hidden in our consciousness not only in our lifetime but many lifetimes ago. We did so through going on meditation retreats, reading historical texts, spending time with family, being with ourselves, having heart-to-heart conversations with each other, writing poetry, and going to historical places. In this moment, our journey is still unfolding.
However, we believe the time has come to take the next step and share our experience with all of you, for a pilgrim can only go so far alone. We are all pilgrims, consciously or unconsciously searching for our ways through anxieties and sorrows, to joy and love. Thus, our intention is to share our stories with the hope that you can see your humanity whispering through our hearts, no matter where you came from. And furthermore, I hope our sharing can be of help, of guidance, of reflection to your own pilgrimage toward your holy place/space.
Our stories will be personal narratives that seek to illuminate the historical within the personal under the title "The Journey Home." We trace how history shows up in our private stories with all of its fortunes and tragedies, and ways in which we hold this reality to make meanings and to navigate our path up until this point. There are some answers, but most are questions we are still holding. So we invite you to be a part of this pilgrimage, with a sincere hope that you can find yourself in the heart of your history, and from there, find your heart in humanity.