Tag Archives: hiking

Padrón to Santiago We began beneath cloudless skies in Barcelos,in heat and dust and bright sunshine.Nine days later, rain and windaccompanied our final steps into Santiago de Compostela.It was my birthday, September twenty-nine,the feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.I carried the day into prayeras we set out from Padrón. We prayed the Sorrowful Mysteriesand calledContinue reading “Beneath the Wings of Grace”

Morning blues lodged within my bonesas we left Caldas de Reis.The sky was overcast, the air cold,and the Galician rain grew heavier.  Then three companions brought their sunshineinto the grey morning.Their lively voices lifted melike wings beneath a tired bird. Ahead of us, a stream of diverse pilgrimsflowed out of the city like the RiverContinue reading “The Stone for Weary Pilgrims”

I left O Porriño in the morning chill,carrying a coldness within me.My mood imitated the air—quiet, heavy and slow to awaken. Morning blues travelled in my body.Energy had not yet found my limbs,and part of me wanted to retreatuntil I felt ready to join the day. But pilgrimage does not always waitfor the body andContinue reading “The Camino that Holds Every Story”

We left Tui in the cool morning air,wrapped for a while in a blanket of mist.It walked beside us like a quiet companion,then lifted and left us to the road. Our small group delved into conversation,  our words carrying us beyond ourselves.So absorbed were we in one anotherthat we failed to notice the turning. TheContinue reading “Following the Yellow Arrows Within”

A Long Loving Look at the Real “Contemplation is a long, loving look at the real.”— Walter J Burghardt SJ I come to the Camino with a desire,not simply to reach Santiago,not to measure the days in kilometres,but to let each day’s walking become a prayer. From the Caribbean, we cross the Atlantic,over waters ourContinue reading “My Desire for the Camino”