Heading out again

It is with great anticipation, hope and joy that I am preparing for my 4th camino pilgrimage. I'm going to try and blog again so come along for the journey. I fly out on the Red Eye September 14. Land in Paris the 16th, have an overnight visit in lisuex and then lourdes and then off to St Jean Pied de Port for the journey on foot. I have my prayer card with all the familiar names that have joined me in past pilgrimages and some new ones that will be included. Buen Camino!

I couldn't get back to the end after correcting a few mistakes so adding this postscript. I will add pictures when I get home and will continue to pray for you and your intentions as I leave Spain on Wednesday and meet my beloved Steve in Rome. I am so excited to see him!! God's abundant blessings on each and every one of you! Buen camino, Sally

santiago

Today I arrived in Santiago. There is an affection in me for this city that is hard to explain, but it feels like another home town. It's streets don't follow any true pattern and you can find yourself a little disoriented if you wander without paying attention to how many times you've turned left or right, but by this trip I pretty much know where I am, and most importantly how to get to St James Cathedral.
I am staying at the same hotel that Emily and I did in 2007 and Katie and I didin 2009. I love it, it has maybe 12 rooms and its very close to the cathedral. The rooms are cozy and perfect for reading and napping.
To earn a compostella you must walk at least the last 100 km. I made a conscious decision after the sidetrip to Sarragosa that when i returned to the way of St Francis, that i would stick to the towns before the last 100k's. Knowing that a certificate of completion wouldn't be mine even though I had walked more than enough. Did that bother me? Not in the least. The last 100k's are a lot busier and by the amount of pilgrims that were at Mass today and roaming around the streets, I am even more assured that for me, the decision was right. There are so many more than I've ever seen!
Sitting for quite awhile before Mass, without a thought to do so,it was like a parade of all of you that have been in my prayers, each name following after another and I kept thinking, my memory isnt what it used to be there's no way I'm going to remember everyone. But your names and faces just kept coming! Such is the power of prayer! It may never be ours to know this side of heaven why we've been put in each other's lives. But I do know your prayers for me and mine for you have strengthened me in every aspect of my life.
There was a woman that stopped me early on in Pamplona, she was probably 70 or so, and she wanted to know if I was walking alone. When I said yes she broke out in a smile and patted my arm and turned back down the sidewalk. I thought to myself, the right thing to have said, okay mimed, would have been to say no and point to heaven but I think she knew that was what was in my heart. Plus all of you as usual take your turns walking beside me. And it is with much gratitude that I thank God for such family and friends as you, fellow pilgrims on this journey through life.

Moving along

Buenos noches mi amigos. Today I ordered not only one cafe con leche and toast but two, so amazing is my grasp of the language. Unfortunately I have trouble eating one order of toast which is 1/4 of yesterday's baguette toasted. The waitress was very kind and laughed. Yesterday was a very tough day, I had stayed over in Leon to explore, it has such a beautiful cathedral and incredible museums. Stopping may have not been a good idea. It seems every time I've done this camino there is a point when I think 'what in the heck am I doing?!?!' yesterday was this Caminos day to ponder my wandering. Plus im getting a little tired of my own company. Today has gone much better. In honor of the autumnal equinox I thought it would be fitting to be present for the sunrise. It has been fairly warm so I just threw on my light fleece over a tshirt and headed to the cathedral. A locale that I was pretty sure would give me the best view. Well it was not necessary to arrive at 6:30, and it was quite chilly out for the clothing I was wearing but I was committed. The moon was bright, the stars were out and Leon was still deeply asleep. I prayed the rosary. I watched the sky. Was it lighter? No. A few pilgrims started to appear and follow the shells out of town. How were they going to see those shells after they left the street lights of the city? Oh well back to the sunrise. Ever so slowly the sky started to lighten. Street sweepers came out with their brooms and started to sweep the square. About 7:45 it was light in the Eastern sky but still pretty dark in the west. As it got lighter and lighter and more people started to appear. I wanted to say look! Do you see the sun is almost over the horizon! It's probably good I don't speak the language. Its not like it doesnt happen every day, I didn't discover anything unknown. But for me, I kind of did. The sun rises every morning. For me the most I think about the sunrising is hmm, suns not up yet or yikes the suns been up for awhile hasn't it! But it takes a larger amount of time than I imagined for the sun to get anywhere near our view of the sky after its already changing the look of things. The light it sends before its appearance is beautiful. Part of the beauty is it doesn't shove the darkness away in an instant but slowly over powers it with light. I could state all kinds of my reflections of this morning, but won't. Find your own morning to watch a sunrise. I am confident you'll come up with a few ponderings of your own. Time is running out before I need to be in Santiago. Sarragosa, (yes there are about 100 ways to spell most cities in Spain) changed this camino into something different, something unexpected. There will be more bus rides than ever before but as Steve told me "you don't have to prove to anyone, especially yourself that you can make it, you already have." Very little in our lives go as planned. It's what we discover in the detours that make life, life. I'm am typing this on my phone because the nook and the hotels router are not on speaking terms. So what else is new?!? So if it's hard to read please blame it on my small screen space. Spain is very old, very proud, very beautiful. The camino is a way. Not "the" way. But "a"way to see things through a different lens. We are not surrounded in America by ancient walls around our cities or buildings that have stood their ground for centuries. It's comforting to know we aren't the first, the last or the only of our kind. In all those centuries it is probably safe to say little has gone as planned. So we are in pretty good company to learn how to roll with the punches. And leave something beautiful behind. Blessings on all of you!!!

Greetings from the camino and me! I have been so long without internet that I'm not real sure where we left off. I think it was a bus ride to Sarragosa. It was a beautifu cathderal. The pillar and statue of Mary were cause for a few long stays at the pew that offered the most direct closest view of them. Sarragosa is a very large city, when i booked my room online it had pillar in it's name and listed the cathedral as a nearby attractiion. Nearby as in closer than the vatican? It was about 5 miles one way according to mapquest, when I didn't get lost. Oh I missed Steves sense of direction! But it seemed fitting that going there should involve lots of walking too.
This pilgrimage has definitely become unique and solitairy. Even to the point of not much contact with you! But it has been rich and exactly what it's meant to be, I am sure. My body is healing, ready to undertake what i ask of it. What strikes me most vividly in these most ornate of cathedrals, is the poverty of Christ. He would not ask for any of it. And even though the grandest of cathedrals were probably more about a show of wealth and power of the men who brought them into being, those men have faded into the abyss of history and the churches can at last give glory to God. The small humble churches call to me the most, the ones built by hands that loved God above all, in the present they still seem to radiate with that humble devotion.
I pray that this finds you all well,and enjoying the life you've been given, you are remembered often in my prayers and I am so grateful for yours! Blessings, and Buen camino!

Well I find myself on a bus to Zaragoza with Internet and time to kill. Where did we last leave off? Did I tell you about the bus driver and Zargoza? I was catching a bus in logrono to get to Burgos and the desert. I found the bus, I thought... it said Burgos on its reader board. I asked the driver if it was the right bus. Well actually i showed him my ticket with a questioning look. I know you're dazzeled by my language skills. He pointed to the other side of the bus and said Burgoz Zaragoza. I took that to mean that my pack had to go on the other side of the luggage storage. Depending on where the bus stops your bags need to go on the side with access for your destination. I threw my pack in and then there was the driver taking it back out. He said, I think, "no my bus is Buegos- somewhere. Your bus Burgos ZARAGOZA. He took me by the shoulders walked me to the next stall and said aqui, which means here. He looked me right in the eye said "you Zaragosa" ok then I was where I needed to be. I got on the right bus and arrived in Burgos. I started walking out of town in severe foot and bite blister pain and checked into a nice little hotel on the outskirts of town thinking I'd have a jump start on the next days walk. As I showered and changed I notice things were getting infected on various parts of my body so decided to start antibiotics, rest a day or so, heal a little, pray it didn't affect my blood levels ( coumadin). I kept thinking where is Zaragoza and why did it sound familiar. Went downstairs for dinner with my nook. Discovered they had Internet, only time I was able to get on and searched for Zaragoza. No wonder it sounded familiar. Its where I had wanted to go each time before with the girls but in reality couldn't justify the time on those Caminos. It was like James was saying come now. The family that owned the hotel was heaven sent. The two sons spoke English and were so kind, directing me to all the beautiful cathedrals, monasteries etc in their beautiful city that I should visit. Right next door was a little chapel dedicated to a St dedicated to the camino and it's pilgrims. I went to Sunday mass there and the priest just glowed. I swore a miracle happened and I could understand Spanish. The gospel reading was Peter's asking Christ how many times we must forgive. His homily focused on learning the compassion of forgiveness not the law of forgiveness. See pretty miraculous! I think the saint was buried there because women kept going up to a oh how is it spelled, sarcophagus? Tomb. Anyway they would kiss his feet, Pat the image of his head and light candles. This guy is still well loved! So for now it seems my pilgrimage is on course just as it should be, not as I planned it but feels very directed. Another weird coincidence was on my new nook I'd downloaded a book on the history of man. It was highly reviewed and I love history. Well this book was about the history of man! From our very beginnings! Not my usual type of reading but it hooked me. It made me think so much about religion and evolution, you know deep stuff. One of the sons who was circling churches on the map he had given me asked if I had any interest in the evolution of man. He said even if you have only a little interest you should go to our museum 'The Evolution of Man". It is the best museum of it's kind in the world. It is very famous. Very near here is where they found the remains of a man like us much older than had ever been found. You've heard of this right?" hmm that was possible I mused. Any way he encouraged me to go through his enthusiasm, told me to give myself at least 2 1/2 hours. I stayed over four. It was so interesting. Who knew! The ticket woman was so nice, I asked to purchase the English audio guide. She told me all the information was posted in Spanish and English. Did I want to just read them. Sure. Then she kept trying to give me a discount. I kept saying no to each one she suggested I might be eligible for. As I was waiting for a short film to load in one of the darkened rooms the lighting gave me a unexpected view of myself. No wonder she was trying so hard, I looked pitiable! I saw later the museumwas free for the employed. Must have been what she was thinking. Poor homeless women. Looking at all that information and images of what primitive man might have looked like. How they developed, grew larger brains and became more stable. I wondered at what point did God breath a soul into us. Oh my goodness look at me ramble on!! So sorry but I've nothing else to do on this bus. It seems the circumstances of this pilgrimage keep me alone most of the time. But I am thinking it's the way this pilgrimage is supposed to be. My prayers for you continue. So much time to pray and such depth of gratitude for a of you! Buen camino!

The Internet and I are not on speaking terms, sorry for not posting. The blisters and bedbugs all conspired against my body. I am not a pretty sight but on antibiotics and hopeful. Before I could despair St James put Zaragoza literally right in front of my path. As if to say come to see where it really all started in Spain. Everytime I started for the desert it was literally like facing a brick wall and only reports of worsening bedbug problems. Such I have such a severe physical reaction to them, I am heading by bus in the morning to Zargoza. Following James lead and he hasn't led me astray so far. If I wasn't typing this on my phone I would have so much more to tell you! Prayers are continuing and God is good. Buen Camino, Sally