Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

"Eighty-seven days after setting out to post a letter, Harold arrived at the gates of St. Bernadine's Hospice. Including mistakes and diversions, his journey had amounted to six hundred and twenty-seven miles." Harold, a retiree, had made the trip from the south of England to the east coast of Scotland on foot, wearing the same clothes and yachting shoes (many times repaired) he had on from the start.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce made me weep, because as he neared the end of his journey, Harold faced painful truths that he had long buried. It also left me feeling uplifted, because at the end, Harold learned that it is possible to have a second chance, to forgive and to be forgiven.

I'm not giving away the story by revealing the ending. The appeal is in the slow disclosure of Harold's past as he travels, and in getting to know the many people that he encounters along the way, and the wife he left behind at home.

I highly recommend this heart-warming story. We can all use a little grace in our lives.

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