It´s still raining......

It has been pouring rain here in Santiago. And it is raining in Porto, Portugal and not so good at Finisterre either. I talked with a friend this morning who walked out to Finisterre and she said it was the hardest of the Camino--the terrain, the fact that some of the albergues are closed or very far apart, and of course, the rain. I was hoping to return to Leon where there is a forecast of sun but that is a 7 hour train/bus ride each way. So I am holed up here in Santiago continuing to see people I have met along the way and seeing all the sights. I am SO tired of rain! It has been a week of this stuff. Everytime I think it is clearing, another wave comes through. Walking back from the laundry yesterday (after they lost a shirt and pair of underwear--a crisis when you have only two sets), the sky opened up with wind and rain and everything got wet all over again. With the dampness, nothing dries and you feel clammy all the time.

In addition, I am homesick. I am ready to go but Iberia says I have to stay in Spain until next week. I stopped by the Pilgrim Office to see if my camera had been brought in. Nothing yet. They did take my name, email address and phone number so if it turns up, they will contact me and send it. Only a miracle will bring it back to me, I am afraid. So I purchased a book (in Spanish) that has many pictures along the Camino to remind me of specific places and memories. The camera I purchased does not really take very good pictures so I am trying to make sure I take things in.

I attended the Pilgrim´s Mass yesterday and heard: and one American pilgrim who started in SJPP--that´s me! It was a very moving service even though I could barely understand what was being said. And guess who sat down right near me?? The two German women who kept getting up early and then not leaving the albergue for an hour! God certainly has a sense of humor. A Cathedral filled to standing room with people and they found me! I sat with a woman from East Germany whom I had journeyed with for a bit and two other Germans. I also saw the Canadian women. The young woman from Hungary and so on. So a time of lots of familiar faces and congratulations all around. I will also attend the Mass on Sunday. It is really hard not to take Communion. I desperately miss the Eucharist even though I have been sharing bread and wine in huge quantities all along the way. I must remind myself that table fellowship and the breaking of bread is what Jesus certainly intended. Whenever we do this in his name, we are doing what he commanded. A pilgrim was chosen yesterday to read the lessons which was really nice.

I did the pilgrim ritual early this morning of going to visit St. James in his niche up behind the Cathedral Altar and then sent down to the tomb below. I was surprised by the tears. It has been a long journey with many stories and many challenges. I am truly grateful for a body and a pair of feet that brought me so far. I was not the only one. A number of pilgrims were also crying. Only the mobs of tourists walking past remind you that our experiences of the past month or more have been rich with connection to this destination. The tourists are dressed with nice shoes and clothes and we are still wearing our ¨quick dri¨clothing and boots--the contrast is stark not only in appearance but also in demeanor. The pilgrims walk with reverence and a kind of wondering look (have I really arrived? what has this journey meant? will I ever see so and so again? what will I do tomorrow?) and emotions are keen, while the tourists rush around with their guides snapping pictures like mad and talking loudly. This has been a profound experience which I cannot readily put into words. There have been smiles and tears, grunts and exuberant joy, and of course some words spoken in the heat of the moment that shall remain nameless. I have seen so many beautiful little towns, pots filled with gorgeous flowers, fields filled with all kinds of growing things, animals of all kinds, and of course the people of the country and other pilgrims. I will search today for a journal book (mine is filled) and see if I can use this time to get my heart and mind around it all.

May God bless you as you step out in faith this day. And may what you discover bring a smile to your face.