When Harold receives a letter from Queenie Hennessey telling him she is dying he knows he must reply. Queenie was a very important part of his past, one filled with joy as well as sorrow and missed opportunities. As he sets out to mail his letter a chance encounter makes him realize he must not only send her a letter, he must go see Queenie. So he begins to walk. Oh, by the way, Harold lives at the very bottom of England, and Queenie is 600 MILES AWAY at the very top of England. Harold left his house in yachting shoes. He forgot his cell phone. He also didn't tell his wife where he was going. All that seems unimportant as Harold has decided that as long as Queenie knows he is walking to her, she will live. So begins The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.
The beautiful thing about Harold's journey is not only how it changes him, but how he affects the people he meets along the way. A humble and unassuming man, Harold does little more than listen to those he meets, but listening is a great skill and a great gift.
"Harold walked with these strangers and listened. He judged no one, although as the days wore on, and time and places began to melt, he couldn't remember if the tax inspector wore no shoes or had a parrot on his shoulder. It no longer mattered. He had learned that it was the smallness of people that filled him with wonder and tenderness, and the loneliness of that too. The world was made up of people putting one foot in front of the other; and a life might appear ordinary simply because the person living it had been doing so for a long time. Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and that this was the dilemma of being human."
Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. You may not be walking 600 miles in yachting shoes, but you can share in Harold's quest and pay homage to Rachel Joyce for her amazing story.
Be back soon!
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