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Arts & Culture A request for help

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Mike Van Ert, May 16, 2014.

  1. Mike Van Ert

    Mike Van Ert New Member

    My name is Mike Van Ert, I am a 62 year old heart attack survivor. I had a quadruple bypass operation during the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies (doing much better now, thank you). I am a husband, father and grandfather living in Surrey.

    I am a lapsed Catholic, I haven’t stepped inside a church in decades.

    At 42 I became a personal computer nerd, I build, repair and help people with their computers. I can give no logical reason why I am good at it, but I am - this is my 20th anniversary year working with computers.

    I have been both writer and photographer and good enough to have had my writing and photography published locally, regionally and nationally in Canada.

    I have had a lot of adventures during my life from hitch hiking across America to coming to Canada so I didn’t go to ‘Nam. I am one of the founders of Ironman Canada and an Ironman competitor / finisher from the very first official Ironman Canada race in 1986. Yes, I have the long-sleeved red finishers t-shirt.

    Now I am going to do something else, I’m going on a pilgrimage, I’m going to walk across northern Spain for five weeks with my sister Lezlie (who is exactly four years younger than I, isn’t that great?). I’m going to take photos and videos along the path, focusing on the seven cathedrals of The Way of St. James, the Santiago de Compostela.

    But my pilgrimage is also about discovery, it, like an onion has many layers. The first layer is about the cathedrals along the Way of St. James from Pamplona to Santiago and their role in the lives of the pilgrims who pass through on their way to Santiago. There are seven cathedrals along ‘The Way’ and my sister and I will be photographing them all through the eyes of a pilgrim, a Peregrino. The second layer is of personal discovery on a spiritual level, I wonder, will my pilgrimage awaken my soul? The next layer is about my heart, physically challenging it over five weeks and hundreds of kilometers walked. The last layer is about those who have died too young, too soon because of heart disease like my brother John who died of a massive heart attack three years ago leaving behind a new wife and new born daughter.

    I am asking for your help - please take a moment to check it out my campaign on Indiegogo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make 'Through the Eyes of a Pilgrim' happen!
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/766262/emal
     
  2. bill barilko

    bill barilko Full Member

  3. flutterby

    flutterby Active Member

    Sounds liKe a wonderful trip. Wish i could go. Interesting Arabic influences in Spain. Are there travel agencies that specialize in religious travel I wonder? If theres not then there should be. Are there any religious destinations here in BC?
     

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