Day 44
A journey can become a sacred thing: 

Make sure, before you go,

To take the time

To bless your going forth,

To free your heart of ballast

So that the compass of your soul 

Might direct you toward

The territories of spirit

Where you will discover 

More of your hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you.
For the Traveler—John O’Donohue
On Monday we opted to rent a car instead of taking the bus. There was a “rumor” of a bus strike (I’m not sure it was true) but renting a car became the easiest way to see Finisterra and Muxia. (Truth be told walking was a little easier two years ago, took longer but it was easier.) 

We decided to spend just one night in Muxia and watch the sunset into the ocean by the church, just like I did two years ago. The only problem was there was cloud cover tonight and a chance of rain. We had a very nice dinner and headed up to the church to sit on the rocks, toast the beauty of God’s creation, and simply listen and enjoy. 

The clouds had cleared slightly but not enough to see the sun sink into the ocean. Nonetheless it was a beautiful night. And we watched with awe and wonder as the sky changed colors. Like a canvas being worked by a master painter the sky changed from lighter to darker colors.  

I was not prepared for the emotions that met me the next morning as we walked through town to breakfast. We sat at the ocean’s edge and drank our coffee and ate our breakfast and tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that this journey that has been two years in the making was coming to and end…at least the part of it in Spain…
For there is so much more to this journey to be explored, shared, discovered, listened and hoped for…”a journey is a sacred thing…

…Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul 

Might direct you toward

The territories of spirit

Where you will discover 

More of your hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you. 

Buen Camino

Day 43
When you travel,

A new silence

Goes with you,

And if you listen,

You will hear

What your heart would

Love to say. 
For the Traveler—John O’Donohue 

I think this is a very difficult challenge for travelers these days. We have so many ways of communicating and staying in touch but often forget to listen…

…forget to listen to each other; to another person…to their stories; their hurts, their hopes, their challenges, their dreams…just listen with the ears of the heart. We have trouble just getting quiet. 

…forget to listen to nature; the weather, the beautiful sounds of nature, the warning signs of nature, the creatures, the rivers, trees bending in the wind, rustling leaves, waves on the sea…we have trouble just getting quiet.
…forget to listen to one’s own heart…and perhaps the divine within us…we have trouble just getting quiet enough to truly listen…

I believe it is difficult for us to get quiet and listen perhaps because of our fear of what we might hear…but it is in listening, truly listening that we might just find in the pain of hearing a joy of healing…”and what our heart would love to say.”

When you travel,

A new silence

Goes with you,

And if you listen,

You will hear

What your heart would

Love to say. 
Buen Camino 

Day 42
When you travel, you find yourself 

Alone in a different way,

More attentive now

To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching

You abroad; and how what meets you Touches that part of the heart

That lies low at home: 

How you unexpectedly attune To the timbre in some voice, 

Opening in conversation

You want to take in 

To where your longing

Has pressed hard enough

Inward, on some unsaid dark,

To create a crystal of insight

You could not have known

You needed

To illuminate

Your way. 
For the Traveler—John O’Donohue 

When I was preparing for this camino I came across just a small part of this larger writing from John O’Donohue. I was fascinated by what he wrote so I found the whole poem. 

I divided this poem up because it was so rich in meaning. Like all of the words of encouragement that I used for help in writing my blog while I was gone I randomly put them on days not knowing where Lindsay and I, and eventually Jim would be on our travels at this point. It’s been quite amazing how they have fit the event or the mood or the camino. 

For me on this day as we entered the cathedral in Santiago I heard a voice and then Jim touched me and I felt an arm on my arm…I turned and was face to face with my German friend Brigitte. I met her at Muxia two years ago and became immediate friends. 

It was the culmination of a beautiful journey…that really started two years ago…new friends…new encounters…new experiences…intersecting with long time friendships…support from home…encouragement on the journey from so many….love abounding, joy overwhelming, grace so amazing. 

The opportunity to listen carefully to others and to yourself…to quiet yourself for the insights that need to be made is essential for the journey of life…may you find this opportunity often…

“When you travel, you find yourself 

Alone in a different way,

More attentive now

To the self you bring along,

Your more subtle eye watching

You abroad; and how what meets you Touches that part of the heart

That lies low at home: 

How you unexpectedly attune To the timbre in some voice, 

Opening in conversation

You want to take in 

To where your longing

Has pressed hard enough

Inward, on some unsaid dark,

To create a crystal of insight

You could not have known

You needed

To illuminate

Your way.”
Buen Camino 

Day 41
Every time you leave home, 

Another road takes you

Into a world you were never in. 

New strangers on other paths await. 

New places that have never seen you 

Will startle a little at your entry.

Old places that know you well 

Will pretend nothing

Changed since your last visit. 
For the Traveler—John O’Donohue 

I’ve read this several times over. And each time I uncover a little more meaning or understanding at least for myself. 

A road that takes you into a world you’ve never been. This might cause great anxiety and fear for some but for others this sense of adventure is the “stuff of life”.

New people and new places await and will be amazed at your visit, at your coming; that you dared to take the journey, the leap of faith. 

And familiar places will pretend that everything is the same…and while there is comfort in the usual and familiar…when you venture out and away you change, you grow…and you don’t stop there. 

Buen Camino