Forum members going from strength to strength

Viranani said:

The recent posts by CaminoDebrita, Margaret Meredith, Movinmaggie, Al, and several others reminded me once again of the the gifts of the Camino, and the amazing things we find we're all capable of--feats of the body, feats of the heart. Whether we succeed in reaching an external goal is not what matters, but rather the heart that we bring to the test--and the care we offer each other. And in this, the strength and kindness and humor that shines out of all these posts is wonderful; all of you deserve a huge bow of gratitude for the lessons you share.

To our elders--most recently Mspath and Maggie (and the many who're not on the road at the moment but who will be)--are doing what most 30-somethings are unwilling to try: Thank you for the inspiration!

And to our many eloquent voices of all ages, who every day are sharing the wisdom and compassion you come by along the way: thank you for your many gifts!

It's not been the easiest of years on the Camino, but it helps to be reminded of what we're really doing out there, at the deepest levels. Thank you, all. You're making the world a slightly better place, on the Camino and at home.

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and kind words.
I wish you well, Peter.

Phew! How absolutely beautiful. It makes my heart sing that people feel this way. Thank you @Viranani

Beautifuly put Viranani, thank you.

You have a wonderful way with words, @Viranani. Thank you for another beautiful post.

What a beautiful post - poured from the heart - lovely!

Viranani said:

The recent posts by CaminoDebrita, Margaret Meredith, Movinmaggie, Al, and several others reminded me once again of the the gifts of the Camino, and the amazing things we find we're all capable of--feats of the body, feats of the heart. Whether we succeed in reaching an external goal is not what matters, but rather the heart that we bring to the test--and the care we offer each other. And in this, the strength and kindness and humor that shines out of all these posts is wonderful; all of you deserve a huge bow of gratitude for the lessons you share.

To our elders--most recently Mspath and Maggie (and the many who're not on the road at the moment but who will be)--are doing what most 30-somethings are unwilling to try: Thank you for the inspiration!

And to our many eloquent voices of all ages, who every day are sharing the wisdom and compassion you come by along the way: thank you for your many gifts!

It's not been the easiest of years on the Camino, but it helps to be reminded of what we're really doing out there, at the deepest levels. Thank you, all. You're making the world a slightly better place, on the Camino and at home.

Click to expand...

What can I say……I'm quite touched by your words.

Viranni, I'd love to meet you on the Via de la Plata this coming May/June! You'd be a great one to have dinner with methinks, and I just know you wouldn't be a 4am rustler.

A 4 AM rustler! Ha ha, love that phrase!

I was very moved to find this lovely and complimentary post. Very kind.

Her I lie in Santiago, on quite a nice bed in quite a nice room in quite a nice hotel. It feels so very strange to not be walking a long day, with my 17 year old Camino daughter. It was quite difficult for us to part ways last night.

I coped with it by eating a large – – and I mean gigantically large – – chocolate bar that I had purchased, intending to take it home as a large gift. Instead, I found myself inspecting my body for bedbug bites, finding only slightly melting crumbs of chocolate down my neck. I will admit that this happened as I was discussing – – with another camino forum member – –The possibility of Via de la Plata sometime in the spring! I may need another long walk if I continue eating chocolate in that quantity… But I did need to recuperate from losing my Camino daughter, and perhaps because of our habit of chocolate o'clock every afternoon, it seemed appropriate.

Interestingly, I walked the majority of my Camino alone, and had reflected on the many facets of my life, including some some rather difficult losses. Perhaps God in his wisdom decided to distract me with this very young girl!

After a very short period of time, many people on the trail recognized that I was this girl's Camino mother. The girl was very bright, so I was able to guide her with very few words. When she was too chatty, I stopped talking. When she was sarcastic, I slowed down. Indeed, on a few occasions, I encouraged her to walk with some young friends, or go ahead on without me. Her determination to stay with me was nothing short of bizarre! As solitary as I often am, I was also surprised that I didn't just get up at 4 AM and leave without rustling…but for some reason, our walking relationship just worked. She happened to come along after I had been alone for a long time, fortunately.

One of the very most wonderful days of the trip, a French family walking with two donkeys had a really rough time. The bad luck donkey, as he was called by one of his owner's offspring , was always having an issue. Gray in color, he was always biting himself to the bleeding point, or getting some infection. On this particular day, The bad luck donkey accidentally fell off a stone bridge, hitting its leg. It also hit one of its family members, the young French guy who had given the donkey its pseudonym, in the head.

The French family was quiet and depressed as the father treated the donkey's leg. The young French man kneeled by the river, holding his head in pain.

My Camino daughter looked at me with big eyes and a face full of concern. I'm going to give them our giant chocolate bar, she announced. Perfect. Perfect.

From them on, We loved the French family, and I think they cared about us too. I can also say that was one of many interesting days that I will still be processing for quite some time.

Viranani, Camino Debrita and others, thank you for these posts.

For me it's the chance encounters with others that make the day.
The shell on the back of my pack is often recognised here, as far away as one can get from the Camino, and a conversation starts.
Or seeing one of a group of four taking photos and offering to take one of them all.
Or being offered assistance when someone else saw a possible need.
Or the end-of-day conversations in the hostel.