Unpacking

I've now been home a couple of weeks and people keep asking me how the transition was between the Camino and home. It was surprisingly smooth, I tell them. Perhaps it was the week in Santiago, perhaps it was my desire to get home after being gone so long, perhaps it is because the Camino is still going on. Each day little memories cause me to reflect on the Christian journey and how the Camino simply makes tangible some of those truths.

For example. When it is raining, you cover yourself up and keep your eyes on your feet so you can side step puddles and rocks. I remember how hard it was to walk when mud clung to my boots. I took no pictures and have few memories of place when it was raining. You are not aware of who is around you or even of the landscape passing by because you are so focused on keeping your feet out of major trouble. When we encounter heavy rain in our lives--those dark, despairing times--consider how limited our focus becomes. I've had people say to me--no one was there. I was all alone. But the truth is, when your focus is limited and you aren't looking around, you have no idea just how many people are nearby nor are you aware of the loveliness of your surroundings. All we know, all we remember, is that we were trying to keep as dry as possible in what felt like impossible circumstances.

And ironically, you can get just as wet from what you use to keep yourself dry! My poncho was great for keeping the water out but underneath it my body was putting out moisture that had no place to go. Then, when I took off the poncho, it was easy to get chilled. How often do we turn to things that do not save us and in fact lead us into even more trouble? Rain is a necessary event--we know that. But in our hearts, we pray that rain will not fall in our lives. I tell parents presenting their children for baptism that baptism is no magic shield from harm. It didn't work for Jesus and it won't work for us. Life presents us with rain and thunder and even lightning. But what baptism DOES give us is the promise that we will never walk through the rain all by ourselves. All we have to do is look up and around--we are not alone. This is the Good News from the Cross. No matter how bad it seems. No matter how many people try to tell us that all is lost. Easter is God's reply. And after the rain, the earth is washed and colors are more intense and beautiful--and we are reminded that rain, like baptism, is our cleansing so we can see with new, fresh eyes what God is doing all around us. The question, of course, is do we bother looking around? Or are we simply glad the rain has finally stopped for the moment? My prayer is that you and I will give thanks for the rain and the promise of renewal it offers and then take the time to look around--even in the midst of the rain--to see who is nearby. For God comes to us in many and mysterious ways. How often have we missed it because our heads were down and our hearts were closed?

My last day in Spain

Interestingly enough, woke to a day filled with sunshine--but cool. Autumn is in full force here in Galacia. Tried to get my airline tickets straightened out at a Travel Agency. They called Iberia but the best they could get was: ¨well, it ought to work out but that depends on the agent at the airport.¨ His advice is to get to the airport several hours early to give me time to press my arguement (routing my bag from Santiago to Dullas rather than my current flight arrangements which have me going from Santiago to Madrid to Seville and then Seville to Madrid to Dullas. Arriving at the airport that early means getting up for the 6:40 a.m. bus--a 15 to 20 minute walk from my hostal (which also means learning how to set an alarm on my Spanish cell phone). The travel agent suggested I take a taxi instead. Decisions, decisions. Also suggested that since Iberia has one of the worst luggage records (hence the question about baggage handling), I should pack everything in my small suitcase that I don´t care if I see for possibly weeks. So in goes the dirty laundry, my first aid kit, etc. Like before, I will carry my backpack onboard. It has become a part of me.

While sitting with old men on the Cathedral square taking in a little warmth of the sun, who should walk up but a woman from British Columbia, Canada I met at Orisson! I have not seen her or her cousin since Roncesvalles. Turns out her cousin had to leave for family illness reasons so she ended up doing the Camino essentially alone. She took her time and arrived yesterday afternoon. We will meet up at 5p.m. today for wine and conversation. Several others arrived today whom I have not seen since the beginning so it has turned out to be a pleasant day.

May you rejoice in this day the Lord has made and give thanks for all that is good and true and beautiful in your life. And may God´s blessings fill your lives with joy and hope.

And the Lord must weep

Woke up this morning to more rain. I think I´ve figured out the routine. It rains or mists every day until around 3 or 4 p.m. Then the sun comes out until it goes down!

Went to the Cathedral this morning hoping for some quiet prayer time. I think that is an impossibility on the Camino. Got to the Cathedral a little after 10 a.m. and was told I would have to wait until atleast 11 a.m. before I could get in. And the crowds kept coming. Interestingly enough they allowed tour groups in but not those who wanted to pray. Is there something dreadfully wrong with this picture? And then when I did get in, people were pushing and shoving, talking loudly and otherwise making prayer very difficult indeed. And the tour groups kept coming through. Every few minutes there was a reminder that the Cathedral was a house of prayer and to keep silence but no one paid attention. Here were all these people, thousands of them strolling through, talking on cell phones, snapping pictures right and left of little things, and otherwise making the temple into a marketplace. I kept thinking that our Lord must weep to see all these people tromping through with narry a thought of the cost or the opportunity this place represents. I also keep thinking that the tourists buying pilgrim staffs should simply walk over to the Pilgrim Alberque (now admittedly it is a ¨ten minute¨journey--Roman will laugh) and pick up a staff for free that has actually made the journey!

I continue to be astonished by the numbers of people doing the Camino who have little or no religious or spiritual component to their journey. For many, it is a cheap way to travel in Spain and to have fun. For others--and this I can certainly understand--they are in the midst of making major decisions or entering significant transitions and need time to clear their heads in a structured environment. Certainly the Camino provides this. You have lots of time to think. Very few pilgrims actually apply for a Compostela--the document certifying your completion of the Camino (at least the last 100k). This could be discouraging for those who work so hard to ensure the continuation of the Camino. At the same time, it doesn´t take long to discover than many small, small towns along the Camino continue to exist simply because of pilgrim income. How else could a town with one house, two barns and a lot of cows and chickens possibily support a bar and an albergue for 50?

The time here is growing short and I am ready to leave. I think I have explored every nook and cranny of this town--in and out of the old city. Not much left to do but sit around and watch the tourists and incoming pilgrims (none of which I know now--they started later). May you find God´s grace tucked in a person or event today and may you offer a grateful and compassionate heart in return.

It´s raining

Woke up this morning to more rain and it has poured all day.......ugh! I did get laundry done today so that is a big plus. Now I´m down for the count coming home. Will do a few tourist things today and attend the Pilgrim´s Mass tomorrow. And hope for the sun to return.

Today was Finisterre and SUN!!!!

Well, if you count hazy with sun it was a beautiful day to go out to Finisterre and walk the final miles out to the ènd of the earth´. Not too many familiar faces out there but a few. Everyone on the bus out was a pilgrim--the Camino Express to Finisterre (and a double decker besides!). Standing there on the rocks looking down at the ocean and smelling the salty air was amazing. The boats down below looked so tiny. The clouds to the west were big and fluffy but the ocean was a beautiful blue to the north. And just think--you all are on the other side of where I was standing today!

The bus trip out took 2.5 hours but the return took 3.5--the bus broke down and we had to be picked up by another which turned out to be the `milk route´. Oh, well. That´s Camino! At least a portion of the trip was by the ocean. It was the fastest I have traveled in over a month! The bus was really flying. Again I was surprised by the number of tourists and tour buses parked near the lighthouse. There were pilgrims weeping and tourists chatting loudly and snapping pictures right and left. A pilgrim is grateful, tourists expect is a Camino mantra. The tourists seemed unaware that many of the people standing around in awe had walked there. I took a picture of the 0.00k marker in front of the lighthouse. A fitting symbol for the end of this incredible journey--a lighthouse and the wide blue ocean leading home to you.

Last night I ran into two people I had met the very first night in France around the dinner table in SJPP. He had had a medical emergency so I was pleased they were able to finsih. They had just gotten in and were looking for accomodation (which is not particularly easy or cheap here in Santiago). So there are still people I know showing up! I also saw creepy man (of Pamplona fame) yesterday.

May you find a light at the end of your journey and joy at the beauty of God´s creation. The journey does indeed begin with one step forward (with some steps backward at irritating moments!) but it does not end with the destination. God´s blessing be upon you and the peace of Christ be within you. May you be the source of God´s grace to others and may the grace of God encounter you in the crossings.

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.

Arrived in Santiago today!

The past three days have been in intermittent rain. Not nice. Today though was particularly nasty because the rain was heavy and the trail was essentially a small river. I got my first blister of the Camino--always happens when my feet get wet. Arrived in Santiago covered in my tomato garb and when I got to the Cathedral square, the sun shone through for just a moment or two. It is amazing to think that I have made it! I received my Compostela--in some ways a disappointment because you stand in line with people who admit to having their baggage transported and having someone pick them up and take them to a hotel, and there you are standing in the same line, soaking wet and still with your backpack on. You sign a list, your name is written on the Compostela, you put in your money, and there you are. I did manage to leave my very wet hat there on the counter though. God willing, I won´t need it any more! It has served as my pillowcase and as a hat when the sun has been intense or the rain unrelenting. And by golly, it does not have a pleasant fragrance. But neither does anything else in my pack right now! Thank goodness we were able to get our clothing washed and dried yesterday at the albergue because nothing has been dry for at least three days. Do you know what happens to damp clothing stuffed into plastic bags? It is not a pretty picture--or rather, not a very nice thing to open up when you need to put the contents on your body.

We wandered Santiago for a little bit trying to find a cheap place to stay. Ran into familiar people. It would be fascinating to sit on the square (when it is sunny, of course) and see all the pilgrims arriving. There are many people from the beginning that I have lost track of. Some I learned today had to drop out for health reasons, some for discouragement. What makes the pìlgrim arrival a tad bit strained is that the square is filled with tourists who wonder what in the world all these wet, smelly people are doing wandering around amongst them. I cannot tell you how many times we stopped people to ask for directions only to find out that they were tourists! But again, the Spanish are incredibly kind to pilgrims. When we couldn´t find the alberque, one woman walked us to it--and we are talking about a twenty minute walk. The albergue is outside the old city and huge. I opted for a single room tonight. I needed a night in a room by myself. As a pilgrim, you learn to appreciate the simple things. Like going to the bathroom all by yourself without having five or more others also in there with you. Like taking a shower without having to take everything you own in with you. Like sleeping through the night without having the sounds (of all kinds) coming from a multitude of others waking you up.

I stayed in a private albergue in Santa Irene last night--was one of four in the attic. A pleasant change--there were real sheets on the bed and she handed us a bath towel. Imagine. A real towel and clean sheets! See what I mean?

Tomorrow I will attend mass at the Cathedral and do the pilgrim rituals. Today I was simply far too tired. It is still raining tonight. So had a simple dinner of lentil soup, Russian salad (a really pitiful excuse for a vegetable salad), and flan for dessert. And of course, lovely bread and Roija wine. Tomorrow I am going to have to start cutting back on the food intake. Without walking 20-28k per day, things will begin to get out of hand if I keep eating the way I have been! So I´ll taper off. A sad, sad thing!

May your journey take you to the place where you will encounter the grace and love of God. May you bask in the sudden sunshine when you are surrounded by rain. I give thanks for the opportunity to take this amazing journey. It will take some time to unpack--not only the backpack, but the memories and stories. I look forward to sharing them with you.