Travel Journal - Birmingham, pt. 2

Day Fourteen - The next day started at the laundromat, followed by a trip to the library, where the visitor's center is. It was not easy to figure out how to get there, but I managed, and the people were helpful (though they don't let out-of-towners use their computers, which was annoying).
From there I went to Tolkien's church, the Oratory, which was absolutely beautiful. It gave me a sense of awe, yet also felt comfortable. I then poked around the area, finding the (speculated) Two Towers, a pub that was mentioned in FOTR (which I had been told not to go to, so I just took a picture from the outside), and one of his homes. I went back to the Oratory to try to take pictures inside, but there was a woman there praying and I didn't want to disturb her. She was there when I went back a second time, so instead of taking pictures I took the time to pray. A better option anyway.
At Oxonmoot I was talking with someone about my trip. She said I seemed to be interested in churches. I hadn't thought of it like that; it was just that I wanted to see and experience Tolkien's churches, my ancestor's church, C.S. Lewis's church, and go to a Welsh church. But as I prayed in Tolkien's church it really hit me why I'm so interested in churches. I'm interested in those who have gone before me in the faith. I'm interested in the faith they modeled, and in the interest it shows that they had in my faith, whether they would've thought of it that way or not. I'm interested in the connection through the years and across denominations. I'm interested in my True family and genealogy. That's where the interest lies. It's a beautiful thing.