Words of Wisdom Along the Way
For those who have walked The Way, The Camino de Santiago, the journey can be immensely rewarding, as well as emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausting.
My husband and I have broken up our Camino into a plan for one week per year. In 2017, we began our first leg and along the way I asked him, "Do you think a pilgrim needs to suffer?"
His reply was "yes." I disagreed.
What was funny (as life often is), is that my journey happened to revolve around suffering that I had to push through. By the end of day 1, I was dehydrated, exhausted and became extremely ill. For the remainder of our walk, I suffered through a fever and sinus issues, as well as allergies.
Upon entering the town of Santiago, I was yelled at by a Spanish grandmother who thought I used a restaurant's washroom without buying anything beforehand. (She apologized later, but I spent the next hour crying as I walked to the Cathedral.)
When I kneeled before St. James' tomb, and stood behind his statue, I was reminded of my brother, James, who had passed away 10 months before our walk.
My husband, and others along The Way, became sources of encouragement for me. There was also the cheerleading team at home with the APOC group who, through their forum, reminded me from afar that they would always be cheering me and others on while we took our journey.
It is these experiences I want to share with others by creating a compilation book of words of wisdom, advice, and encouragement for pilgrims. None of us want to carry a book with us, but maybe we might find a page or two to tear out and carry with us - those words that connect with us and remind us, that we can do it.
If you have walked the Camino and would like to empart your words of encouragement, please fill out the form below with your wisdom, your name as you would like it to appear, and about your journey.
Buen Camino!