Walking the Camino de Santiago - Part 2

I returned to Barcelona for a few days before heading home to Seattle.  When I arrived in Santiago, I attended an English Pilgrams’ Mass and was given this prayer:   We thank you, God, for bringing us safely here and for the many blessings and gifts of our pilgrimage. The company and kindness of strangers, the beauty of the way, the joy of traveling light and the strength to go on even in difficulties are reminders of Your presence within us and among us. Now that we have arrived, we remember all our loved ones, especially those who have been in our hearts and minds as we walked the Camino.  As we return home, give us courage to live in the spirit of the Camino so that we may make this world a more loving and peaceful place for everyone. We make our prayers through Jesus who in the Way, the Truth, and the Life.   So, over the last few days, I have been attempting to keep the spirit of the Camino alive as much as possible as I transition back to “normal ...

Well, at 11:30-ish I walked into the square in front of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral for my second time.  The feeling was just as amazing as the first time! I will follow up with some more thoughts later and a final short video of my trip, but the real highlight today was accomplishing this amazing journey with some fantastic people.   Thank you, fellow pilgrims, for spending time walking and talking with me.  We didn’t solve all the world’s problems, but we sure tried…   Buen Camino!         14.69 miles 29,840 steps   Location:   Santiago de Compostela @ 42.88049, -8.54575

Last night it was raining and cold.  Waking up I could hear the rain, thus making it difficult to mentally rally and get going.  However, my desire for a good bed selection prompted me to move... so off I went into the storm. The goal for today was to find as much collateral beauty as possible.  Although it is more difficult to take pictures in the rain and with the poncho, it was still a beautiful walk.  So, enjoy some of the beautiful I found.   Being another Sunday, I offer a portion of one of my favorite daily devotionals.     It’s a new day:  the choice is yours   b y Max Lucado   Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose.  And so, I choose. I choose love. I choose joy.  I choose peace. I choose patience. I choose kindness. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness. I choose gentleness. I choose self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fa...

Today was a long day, but a good day.  The weather was cold and I was thankful that I have been carrying too many clothes.  The towns are now closer together and the trail is often full of day hikers and groups of youth.  We are clearly leaving the wilderness of the Camino. Again, many thanks to those who supported my desire to walk again this year.  I am grateful for the opportunity and know that it is a huge privilege to be able to do this again.  It has been fabulous to have the time to inhale so I can continue to work on projects and help others as I exhale.   My morning started off with an interesting struggle between a group of guys who looked like they were going hunting and a whole bunch of pilgrims.  The locals had their patterns and us pilgrims where clearly disrupting their normal.  It was an interesting show during my breakfast coffee.   One of my favorite coffee stops was closed and that mad...

Early this morning as I was just starting my daily walk, I saw that someone had painted “be here now” on a wall.   It was a good reminder for me to stay in the moment and enjoy my day on the Camino.  It is so easy for me to start thinking about tomorrow or what I will be doing next week, but I want to stay focused here for now.   Today was a gentle uphill climb all day and the rain started about an hour into the walk.  I call these “spa days” because I usually sweat under my poncho.  Today, however, it was also cold and windy, so the poncho actually felt OK.  Still, I hope the sunshine returns tomorrow and the poncho can go back into my pack.  I met a lovely Chinese student today.  Jing is working on her doctorate in the UK and found time to enjoy part of the Camino.  It was fun chatting about my current project in China and her hometown of Taiyuan. (My daughter took me there a few months ag...