One month ago today I walked into Santiago de Compostela. It was a very different experience from two years ago. Then I stood before the cathedral and…felt nothing. It wasn’t until the next day when a woman working in the Pilgrim’s Office spelled my name wrong on my Compostela that I felt something big. I looked at my misspelled name and the full impact of having walked 500 miles hit me like a great rushing wind. Thankfully it was no problem to issue me a new Compostela.
This year I hurried through the outskirts of Santiago carefully watching for those yellow arrows to find my way to the plaza so I could see Santiago gazing down from the cathedral. And when I stood there looking up I was seized with this thought…
I made it! I’m here!
That moment repeated itself the next day when my friend Viv and I went to the Pilgrim’s Mass in the cathedral. We waited in a long line outside the cathedral for an hour and a half. At 11:00 am the doors opened to allow us entry for the noon mass. We wended our way through the cold cathedral and suddenly upon turning a corner there was the center of the church.
I made it! I’m here!
After walking for 51 days I am here in the cathedral where the legendary bones of Saint James are buried. I have been processing what all this means to me. I haven’t made much progress but every day I pull out various memories of my time on the camino and try to sort it all out within my heart and soul. I do know my walk has made me different.
Two years ago, just a few weeks into my walk I knew I wanted to walk the Camino Frances again and I wanted to walk it alone. This time as I entered Santiago I sensed I had done what I came to do. Five days later I felt the pull of the pilgrim’s walk again. Maybe it’s because this time as I made it into Santiago I was in shape to walk the camino unlike when I started. But I sense it is deeper. This pilgrimage changes me every time and I believe there is still more within me to change.
Buen Camino
One day I decided to go for a walk... 