Taking It All In . . . and Wondering

October 14

I will remember this day long after I finish the Camino. It was a day of incredible beauty and peaceful contemplation. As strange as it may sound, I did not want the 14-mile walk to Triacastela to come to an end. Maybe if I just continued to walk, the natural splendor and tranquility would follow me. 

At the very least, I would carry those images back with me in case I had to be reminded.

I also spent time walking alone thinking about the many pilgrims I met along the way. Some I talked to in passing, others I spent time with from town to town, and many simply crossed my path. We were different in so many ways - where we lived, our backgrounds and life experiences, why we were walking the Camino, and how we approached our journey. But we were united as pilgrims by the common goal of reaching Santiago.

I thought back to some of the pilgrims who had touched me for one reason or another and wondered whether I would see them again. I wondered about . . .

Peter, from the Czech Republic, who had been walking since February, slept in open churches, and adopted 2 stray dogs along the way.

Paul, from Toronto, who accumulated blisters as a badge of honor and proudly shared the latest count and supporting photos.

The 88-year-old man who said very little and plodded along from town to town in what appeared to be his work clothes, and had become somewhat of a hero among the pilgrims.

The young couple from France who carried their 6-month-old daughter pulling their belongings in a suitcase behind them.

I also wondered whether I would see the young brother with cerebral palsy, who you earlier met, arrive in Santiago. Eventually, I returned to the here and now . . . to complete the day's walk to Triacastela with some of the pilgrims who had truly become a special part of my journey.

~ Buen Camino, Carol ~