Mission San Juan Capistrano ....

... a step back in history.

                    Have you ever experienced the feeling of history? For me, it's drifting through my imagination of a day suspended in a time frame that's elusive. Wandering gardens, touching stone, hearing today's sounds ....   

 .... I feel as if I am floating across the bricks, not quite touching them with my feet. What it must have been like ... what did the creators of this sanctuary think and feel? 

The builders of the Great Stone Church must have felt that the devil was hovering nearby as this church in the shape of a cross was devastated by two large earthquakes. Wonder what their thoughts were and what words they used ...

Despite the setbacks, history continued to create itself, presidents signed documents ...

 ... swallows returned to build their nests under the eaves of the buildings ..a safe haven and iconic representation of what the missionaries were creating.

 

However, the Bells of Capistrano are the essence of  history. The strong, yet sad sound, seems to tell the story of being buried in the ground, persecution, survival, renewed life ....

Lessons? Conviction, hope, belief ... I bet we think and feel the same now as before. It's the same ... but different. Yup .. that's what I learned!