I bought my ticket for the Camino this week.
If you don’t know, I am going on a pilgrimage this summer. The Camino de Santiago has been calling me to it for 7-8 years now. So this summer, I will fly to Barcelona, Spain, and take a train to the starting point of this 500 mile journey. Saint Pied de Port, France is the traditional starting point of the Camino Frances (The French Way). It lies on the border of France and Spain, in the Pyrenees mountains. In fact, the very first day on the trail is up a mountain, where I will cross from France to Spain. I can’t help but think of the many WW2 movies I have watched and books I have read about people escaping through mountain passes. Only, I won’t be escaping, but rather entering a 5-week, 500-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This is the traditional burial site for James, the Apostle. There is a large and beautiful catholic church there, serving as the final stop of the trek. There are relics (bones) of James there. Did you know every Catholic Church has to contain a relic of some sort? I found that out on a tour of the Painted Churches of Texas this past year. I highly recommend that tour based out of Schulenburg, Texas, if you’re so inclined.
Anywhoo – my friend Judy, who walked the Camino about 20 years ago, told me that my Camino begins when I begin planning it in earnest. That started last fall when I bought a few books and a new hiking backpack. Since then, I have been reading, planning, and praying about this pilgrimage. So I decided it was time to start writing about it. If you’d like to follow along, this is the spot. I will post a few things on social media along the way, but here is where you will get the longer version. I’m warning you now, however, that this will not be a polished writing. There may be typos, misspelled words, and grammatical errors. That’s really hard for me because I’m a perfectionist when it comes to writing. I often feel inspired to write, I really enjoy it, and people seem to be blessed by my words from time to time. But most of the time, I over think it, don’t have time to make it perfect, and therefore don’t write at all. Hence the last post here was 2 years ago. So bare with me. Is it bare or bear? I don’t know, and I’m not gonna take the time to google it. 🙂
You might be wondering why I would aspire to travel 500 miles, by foot, over 5 weeks, in a foreign country. I sometimes wonder that as well. Mostly it feels like I am being called to do so. Much like I was called to be a Pastor, or knew I would marry Gene after only meeting him briefly. It is something I have to do. Really.
And what do I hope to gain, accomplish, or find on this journey? That is less certain. I am treating it like a pilgrimage, not a vacation, or tourist adventure. I hope to know myself and God better by the end of it. My theology tells me that the more I become me, the more I become the best version of the human being God created me to be, the closer I come to God. There’s a quote I like, and sorry can’t remember the author, (google it if ya want) – “The desire to be fully known is both our greatest desire and deepest fear.” I think that is true. So I think my purpose for pilgrimage is somewhere in there.
I am preparing by walking a lot. Soon I will start walking a lot with my backpack and some weight in it. I’ve started Pilates because my core has always been weak, even when I was an athlete. My abs are really sore today. I am talking to friends, and friends of friends who have been on the Camino. And I am praying and meditating, and now writing about this endeavor.
I welcome your prayers for this pilgrimage, both now in preparation, and while on the trail as well. Feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested. I welcome people to follow along on the journey.
As they say on the trail, Buen Camino! Tina