Pilgrims' Home

The elevation of the Camino begins in such a way as to invite slowness, pacing, and presence. The middle section is called the meseta. It is rightly located. By the middle of the journey, the pilgrim (me) is more attentive to slowness and growing in wisdom to the problems of going fast. Each step is its own, and arrival isn't the goal. The high elevations provides shade and a breeze. The flat meseta provides nothing but unadulterated sunshine. Each step invites a life of trust, love, openness, and presence.  Maps/Images from  Pilgrim Santiago

Last night ended so joyfully. Six of us took a rest day and ended the evening lounging in the hammocks with the other peregrinos. The social nature of The Camino is so joy-filled; there are so little expectations, few if any judgments, and ongoing openness to one another. Everyone is a pilgrim so everyone is looking for connection. Maybe not everyone, but when this happens, we sense it and let the pilgrim go alone.  This morning the alarm went off at 5am, and the six of us rose in unison to begin the day. I have been walking for 20 days and occasionally pilgrims will wake together and leave within minutes of one another. The staggering gives the feeling of being Alone Together. Today, however, we woke up as a group, dressed as a group, and left as a group. Everyone stood outside and waited for the last pilgrim to exit the albergue before taking our first step. It didn’t seem needy but collective and joy-filled and loving.It was a true Camino Family moment. I walked 21km to...

I woke up late today and was committed to doing very little. Several of us woke up in Leon with an eagerness to eat a shared breakfast at El Patio. So I packed my bag, walked the streets of Leon and enjoyed my first and second breakfast in the same place. The breakfast was the best. El patio in Leon had a breakfast special of espresso and tortilla (omelette) for 1,40 euro. I had breakfast twice, and we joked about being Hobbits on the way.  I left at 930 and expected to walk alone to Valverde, but Manuela and Livio walked with me. I am always surprised when we can walk together since pacing is so unique. Sometimes we talked about food, other times, spirituality, and other times enjoyed silence side-by-side. Sometimes i think the exchange between people in silence is more profound than exchanges while talking. Talking is so empty; silence is deep. That’s a bad cliche but true nonetheless. Four of us arrived to Valverde together. Valverde is a tiny village located on a busy ...

First of all, it is 8/8. This has always been one of my favorite days to remember, even long before I knew I was an enneagram 8... Two events of memory happened on 8/8/88. First, the Chicago Cubs played their first night game. Secondly, I remember registering for arts and worship camp at Presbyterian Church of the Master in 1988 (Omaha, NE).I remember overhearing a mom say, as she was writing out the check for camp, it won’t be three eights until 2008 - that is so far away! Now it is ten years past, and most moms haven’t written a check for VBS in some time. Today i woke up at 630am! Quite a difference from 2am. Even more, I went to sleep last night at 8pm. I woke with several pilgrim friends who were eager to welcome me back from a long sleep. They were awake until midnight socializing and wondered if i was still alive when they went to bed.  We left for the Camino at 8am, which is quite late for pilgrims. We stopped at a Roman bridge for a group photo, which is one of my...

August 7, 2018 (a bit behind in posting) I arrived halfway through the camino today. The Camino is either 790 or 776 km. If you add bathroom stops we can all it an even 800 km or 500 US miles. Halfway felt significant today. The halfway point is marked by statues of a Templar Knight and St. Francis. Francis is holding a book with the famous phrase, “ora et labora.” What felt more significant was the completion of a 41 km day. This was a goal from the outset but never imagined i would do it. I wanted a 41 km day because i am 41 years old. Gimmicks take the foot pain away, and there is a lot of foot pain in the world. Most of it sits below my own knees. I couldn’t sleep last night, and when i woke up at 1:42AM , I  was sleeping in a pool of my own sweat. I looked at the temp and it was still 26 degrees outside. It was significantly hotter in the albergue crammed with 75 people on bunk beds. I arose to snoring, farting, and restless legs. I knew there was no chance of going ...

My alarm didn’t go off this morning, and no one was moving about the albergue in Poblacion de Campos. I figured it was only 4am and could sleep for another hour. My phone was charging in the bathroom so i woke up to actually check the time. It was 542. This was the first day where the albergue was quiet past 5am . I quietly gathered my things and began to depart for my short walk to Carrion, a well to do town on the Rio Carrion. I began my 15km walk along the river and enjoyed the earth waking up again. The sun peaked over the hills in the distance and the red and purple hues were glorious.  I arrived in a little town (Villalcázar de Sirga) 10km later and sat for breakfast . Knowing i only had 5km left and it was 8am , i sat for a long time. An hour later Mac (Scotland) and Dulce (Mexico) arrived and sat with me. I never really know how i meet people, but we simply become friends and enjoy whatever time we share together. There is something in this practice that might help th...

I left his morning at 5:18 am with a mountain in my sights. I assumed the sun would rise at 6 30/45, which has been the time the sun is rising most other days. Sadly, i was off by 30 minutes. Even more, I made it up the mountain in less time than i had figured. So I arrived at the top of the mountain at 6am , and the sun was long from waking from its slumber. I waited a few minutes and congregated with passing pilgrims, but ultimately moved on from the mountain and down into the valley. The descent was 18% grade, which was not a gift to the knees so early in the morning. 7km into the day, I heard heavy footsteps coming from behind me. A young catholic seminarian came passing by. Raphael is faster than most TMNT and is half the size despite the heavy sound of his feet. We shared in a christo-centric conversation and enjoyed company.  2km later we stopped for coffee but he was determined to make it to mass in the next town, so we said goodbye. This was probably good since he w...

Today began the meseta. I was quite nervous to begin the part of the journey but now after 28,5 km of it, i quite enjoy it. The walking is easier mostly because it is flatter but also because i am fitter. I do wonder if i will lose weight on this journey?  I left very early today. My albergue-mates woke up at 430 so i arose with them. I was set and ready to take my first steps at 5:01 . 8 minutes later i realized that i had left my walking poles back at the albergue so i retraced my steps, retrieved my poles, and set out again. I wonder how far i would return to retrieve something? Part of the Camino is letting things go - what would i let go of if i forgot it? As it gets hotter, i am tempted to let everything go and simply walk with myself and one set of clothes... i think it is inappropriate to walk the Camino naked, so i have to keep my clothes.... i think. The morning began with prayers once i had my bearings on where i was to go. The Camino is not always marker-friend...

I am choosing to engage the enneagram each day for the next nine days. The meseta is a nine day walk along a dry and boring path filled with wheat fields and little else. It is long and painstaking. Each day gives too much time to walk with yourself and wrestle with your emotions. Last week I decided to set my intentions for the meseta by engaging the enneagram. It seems right. Each day i will consider friends who carry different energy than me and try to cherish their energy and world. I will also try to recognize this energy in me. Each day i will post a small synopsis of my walking and then offer what i am experiencing by sitting with the energy and remembering my friends who carry it.  A brief introduction. For more, please visit Richard Rohr’s enneagram series .  I teach the enneagram at Wts. This “voodoo” instrument has been reduced to a personality or temperament test, which drives me crazy. The intent of the enneagram is that we come to understand our pa...

Week 2 photos I write almost everyday, but the weekly update is simply a few snippets from the week’s writing. I am working from a small screen and a poor interface, so my typos may be more abundant than usual. Day 8, Monday, July 30 Today was a wonderful day. Yesterday i went to the medical center regarding my oversized blister on my right heel. I was worried about an infection and wasnt’ sure what this would mean for my next few days. The medical professional’s initial look gave a gasp, and i was more concerned. Then they began to squeeze out the fluids, which hurt worse than i imagined. They kept pushing and as i groaned, the doctor and nurse laughed. I appreciated their playfulness in the moment. It’s just a blister after all. They cleaned it up and taught me how to take care of it. I now own a bottle of benzine and enormous bandaids. I spent the afternoon quite restless, which i am realizing is a common practice. After i finish walking, what do i do? I am often too t...