Day 60

Well I can say that I have been overwhelmed on this trip. I have had an overwhelming sense of joy…and overwhelming sense of support…and overwhelming sense of peace…at times an overwhelming sense of tiredness and even pain. 

But never an overwhelming sense of defeat. 

This passage is one of my favorite scripture passages in that it encourages us to remember that we do not encounter the forces of nature or powers that be alone…and they will not, cannot overwhelm us. 

We are often feel as if we will be overwhelmed with the bad news of our day. We are often feel burned by angry words coming at us. We can feel consumed by the day to day work and even in our social media. 

But as was declared so long ago in Isaiah this is not what defines us or even what will or can get the better of us. 

The divine declares. “I am with you!”  These things cannot and will not overwhelm or control you…I am walking with you on your journey…and will not leave you alone. 

I will say it again, “these words encourage us to remember that we do not encounter the forces of nature or powers that be alone…and they will not, cannot overwhelm us.”

I hope you can Find this on your journey. 

Buen Camino 

Day 59

“God, You called your servant Abraham from Ur in Chaldea, watching over him in all his wanderings, and guided the Hebrew people as they crossed the desert. Guard these your children who, for love of your Name, make a pilgrimage to Compostella. Be their companion on the way, their guide at the crossroads, their strength in weariness, their defense in dangers, their shelter on the path, their shade in the heat, their light in darkness, their comfort in discouragement, and the firmness of their intentions; that through your guidance, they may arrive safely at the end of their journey and, enriched with grace and virtue, may return to their homes filled with salutary and lasting joy. Amen.” Pilgrim Prayer (Codex Calixtinus-12th Century) 
This prayer is from what is considered the first travel guide for the camino. (The Codex Calixtinus is more than just a travel guide but it certainly has that component.) And this prayer takes Pilgrims all the way back to one of the earliest pilgrims that is known to people of faith, Abraham. Genesis tells us of Abraham’s and Sarah’s journeys and how God was faithful to God’s promises to them and to their children’s children. 

This prayer is a blessing for all of us who find ourselves on similar journeys, whether on the camino de Santiago, or another particular pilgrimage, or simply the journey of life. It’s always good to have a companion….and especially one who who can be a guard, guide, strength, defense, shelter, shade, light, comfort, firmness…and help us arrive safely with with grace and joy!! 

I know for me…I felt God’s presence on the camino and feel God’s presence on my journey in life. I pray the same for you!!


Buen Camino 

Day 58
“Oh yeah

To all the travelers, pilgrims longing for a home From one who walks with you

On this journey called life’s road

It is a long and winding road 

From one who’s seen the view

Dreamt of staying on the mountains high And one who’s cried like you
Wanting so much just to lay down and die 

I offer this, we must remember this 

We are not home yet, we are not home yet
Keep on looking ahead, let your heart not forget We are not home yet, not home yet, not home yet 

So close your eyes with me

And hear the Father saying, ” Welcome home”

Let us find the strength in all His promises…

So keep on lookin’ ahead, let your heart not forget

We are not home yet, oh, we are not home yet”

 Not Home Yet Steven Curtis Chapman 

This will be very personal so bear with me. There are places I have been in my life where I have felt at home. I have felt a connection to the earth or the building even; there are people with whom I have made this same connection. I don’t think I’m alone in this…I have heard others talk of this amazing sense of being in a place that feels like home. 

But there is still a restlessness…it seems….at least for me…even in the places that feel like home…a longing for another country…a place from which we are longing. 

As CS Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

“To all the travelers, pilgrims longing for a home…keep on lookin’ ahead, let your heart not forget

We are not home yet…”

Buen Camino

Day 57

This picture is beautiful. The quote is profound and perhaps lovely but maybe frightening to many of us. 

Change can be a “dirty” word. It carries with it a need to do things differently, not doing things “the way we have always done them”. It challenges us to new plateaus and vistas. It moves us in new directions. 

“Sometimes in the wind of change…we find our direction.”
Fear keeps us from moving in new directions…it stifles the fresh wind of opportunity and growth. It holds us hostage to the way things were instead of the possibility of what can be. 
In these last few days of my time away I have not had as much control as I am used to having in my life. It has been a bit of a struggle for me but in this I have found a fresh breeze blowing…a wind of change…helping me to grow and follow where God is leading. 

May you find the same fresh breeze in your journey…

Buen Camino