Welcome Friends

Welcome to our preparation blog!

We have decided to take five weeks this spring to walk the ancient pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. We would love your wisdom, encouragement, good wishes, and blessings as we prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for this time.

We will periodically add notes and lists and questions and things to this site. Perhaps you will do the same. Here's hoping!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Arzua

Watching from the restfull shelter of this cafe
a stream of pigrims
steadily passing
- or unsteadily passing -
with heavy backpacks,
wide brimmed hats,
high tech walking poles,
hand-carved sticks,
ball caps, berets, crutches, without bags, with eye shadow,
wilting under the sun -
bearded, smooth, smoking, perfumed, cell phone ringing,
or silent -
with crosses, shells, badges, pins, buttons, beads,
guitars,
bicycles,
horses,
donkeys
some determined, some drifters
some shuffle, some sprint
some linger in a wisp of shade
some race on to the next day.

They pray in 800 year old places
with quiet
they pray in bars with tv blarring
with beer -
they go in groups
they go alone
they sing, write, talk talk talk talk talk
laugh
cry.

There is no thing in all these lives which is the same -
except for this Camino
and this day.
And this is profoundly unifying.
and this is Good.

And now my Camino is
to be
a witness.
And this, too,
is Good.

3 comments:

  1. Watching from afar as her son and his partner is also walking at the same time. I have watched with interest your journey. I only hope that they also make the right decisions at the right time. My love to you both.

    An Aussie Mum
    look for the small signs from those who have passed.

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  2. Thanks Aussie Mum! My mum is a Kiwi! I trust the Camino is looking after your two as it has looked after us.
    Allison

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  3. Hi Diane and Al, what an amazing journey and the strength you have both come to know is you. I commend you both for the truth that only each of you know is what you need. I have great respect for anyone that accepts and acts upon what their body and mind tells them to do. In the words of somebody great in my life, our dear dad, "Carry on".
    Love to you both, Shelley

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