This story of the Samaritan woman is unusual in the Gospels as we get full and rich details about her encounter with Jesus, as well as the lively dialogue between the 2 of them.

And though the story is, of course, a few thousand years old, if we allow it, the story is vivid and current and speaks directly to us.

Last Sunday I mentioned a trip Tim and I took many years ago through the north woods of Maine, using the images of that dark and rainy trip as an image of wilderness.

 This week our readings speak of journeys, and I found myself again thinking of Maine, a place Tim and I spent many summer weeks, drawn there by friends who loved it, our mutual love of the water, and of Tim’s love of boats and boatbuilding. In fact, our first trip there was to Brooklin Maine, home of the WoodenBoat School, so Tim could take a class, and I could sit on the deck of our cottage, reading, crocheting, and snoozing!