More Lessons on Faith and ALWAYS More Miracles!

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As I stated previously, my journey was not meant to end with Santiago. My pilgrimage was over there and my original intent was to head to France. That having changed I think the Lord has more lessons for me. In some ways getting to Santiago was anit-climatic - add too many emotions, reunions, fatigue and then catastrophe with the train wreck - it was always about the walk not the end. I think I have said before anyway - I can see now I started on The Camino before I ever even left, and I pray it never ends! It was very clear however that I was not meant to go home yet. It was meant for me to walk on and learn some more lessons.

I actually now see Santiago as a bit of a reminder of how easy it is to lose touch with things and with God in the blur of life. Santiago was about reunions and celebrating and resting and my walks and talks with God were infrequent. Yes I went to mass everyday I was. here, but mass when you have tourists walking around the whole time and having reunions occur left and right really doesn't make for the best spiritual time. So another lesson - this is what I will face when I get home, which means that I will often have to be intentional about my time to meditate, my time to reflect on life and my time to talk with my Father. I hope I can be mindful of that whenever those whirlwind times happen!

So on to the lessons and miracles of the day. I of course woke up around 5am this morning. Even though I had a private room (this means a bed and a sink - but also means no snorers so I could get some sleep) I could still hear people stirring and getting ready to hit the road. I stayed last night at the Seminario Menor - an old seminary that sits a bit above Santiago and has been converted to an albergue that has 500 beds! The place is amazing and HUGE! I finally got up at 6am and loaded up and headed to the cathedral. I was to meet friends there at 7:30 to start our way on The Camino to The World's End - Finisterre. I arrived at the cathedral early as I wanted to go in the hotel across from it and steal their wifi to check on my daughter. I got my messages checked which also included one from the people I was meeting that said they didn't know where I was so they could meet me. I realized this meant I was on my own with no idea where The Camino was and NO map!

I have walked this whole Camino on faith! I have never carried a guide book and honestly trusted the Lord to provide answers to where I was going and where I was staying. Yesterday when I hadlunch with friends, some of whom are also on the way to Finisterre today, they all said I was crazy for not having a guidebook to Finisterre. They said the albergues were less frequent and it might be good for me to know where they are. I told them I have trusted the Lord this far and I wasn't changing that. When I have needed a sign He has provided one, and when I needed a guidebook he provided me friends with guidebooks! 😊 The Lord works in mysterious and wonderful ways! Before the meal was over they were talking about going on faith as well. I have found my whole Camino this has always proved to be the best way and the Lord reminded me of that several times today!

So here I am at the Cathedral with no idea where the Camino is when along comes a young Spanish women from Valencia also looking lost, but with a packpack on her back which tells me PILGRIM! She spoke a wee bit of English and together we decided which way we should proceed and sure enough there were the fletchas (the arrows). She walked a bit and then excused herself to stop for breakfast and wished me a Buen Camino! I was on my own - walking alone as I have done much of the Camino!

I had intended to write much more tonight, but instead I experienced life on the Camino and another amazing miracle. Shewas already a miracle when I met her at the tourist office coming into town today, but she has now been a second miracle. Wow - one person two miracles. I would hazard a guess that this young women helps orchestrate multiple miracles in a day. So after spending a few hours talking and drinking wine with this miracle worker (a U.S. girl turned Spaniard), I am pleased to call Sienna my friend. But now you will have to wait to hear about my journey to land's end day one and all the miracles another day as I am going to bed. Thanks to Sienna I have an exciting walk ahead of me however and will have more time to blog - in between miracles - as well. As always sorry for the typos - corrections and pictures when I get home!

Camino ON!

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