For the Month of September, I will be in Spain, on one of the many Pilgrimages to St. James’s Tomb. I will start walking Saturday September 2nd, from the town of Zamora (about 150 miles Northwest of Madrid). I will be (for the most part) on the Camino Sanabres (an “offshoot” of the Via de la Plata, which is the longest Camino, over 1000 km, starting in Sevilla). The Camino I am taking goes through a number of villages, small and larger towns, and a small city (Ourense).
The main reason I am going this time is to see the completed restoration of the Cathedral of St. James (in Santiago). I have not seen it without scaffolding, and covered, inside and out with sheets and construction material. When I walked the Camino Madrid in 2019, the Cathedral wasn’t even opened.
I will admit, that while I am preparing, I am aware that I am older, and not as physically prepared as I have been in the past. Even more reason to trust in God’s guidance, and trust in the Camino; whatever happens, happens. The Camino, by its nature, is a wonderful opportunity to travel lightly, and live simply. The Camino affords a safe place to try to let everything go.
I think I’ve been “talking myself down” lately at the prospect of walking 250 miles, pretty sure that I may not be able to do all of it. I will do what I can, but I know that the Camino Provides (a slogan from there), and I will know what I can do or cannot do. I feel as if I’m talking like Yoda every time I describe the experience of the Camino. “Walk you will, or walk not”. So, there is also a chance that I’ll be walking the whole time I’m there, the Camino has a life of its own.