amy- The Crossing

I suppose it is a funny reality. Before this semester, I think I can safely say that Elise and I never ever thought of adopting any Catholic traditions. After this semester, I think we will have an accidental Catholic bond. I can also safely say Elise and I never would have examined our “accidental Catholicism” as academically as we did this year. The reader must understand: Elise and I have been in quite a few precarious situations. In Delphi, we were the triumphant mountain climbers, but most definitely not the triumphant dog tamers. Metaphorically and physically, the phrase “coming off the mountain,” definitely relates to us. We had a wonderful time reaching a shack on the top of a mountain in Delphi, but our bravado ceased as we attempted to find a way of getting around the loud, angry sounding barks of dogs. We would battle on, retreat, and then try and logically talk ourselves into facing the dogs. Elise and I would look at each other and go forward. We crossed the area where the fence was located. We heard the dogs barking. We looked at each other and both started crossing ourselves as we scrambled over rocks and trees trying to get out of that situation. This symbol of Christ somehow just naturally came into our minds. It was very strange, because both Elise and I come from a Protestant background. To make this story even more interesting is that we have done that not only once, but twice. When we somehow ended up in the Paris ghetto, again we looked at each other with wide frightened eyes and our hands moved from parallel to perpendicular. It is strange to find out what symbols one uses in extreme situations. Nevertheless, I think this experience can fall under the category of “experiential symbol use.”