Together To The End and What Is A Pilgrim...

Friday, May 25, 2012

8:45 AM Arizona, 5:45 PM Spain

We woke with several decisions to make.  If we take the bus again where well we get off?  Should we take the train?  Is there some way to send my bike and panniers ahead and walk with Lisa?  Do we split up and Lisa will bus and walk to Santiago.  But first thing we decide is that we’ll spend another day here in Leon.  It’s time to get out of the Albergue and either find another or get a hotel; little did we know that it was possible to stay in the current Albergue.  Since it had not been possible in the past we took it for granted that it was not allowed.   However, we did ask the clerk if it was possible to leave my bike and panniers there for 11 days.  He stated it was not because they will be closing for good in five days, but the Albergue across town might allow it and he would call them for us.  They did not answer so he allowed me to leave my bike and panniers there while Lisa and I went in search of our next bed.  Along the way we stopped at the wonderful Café Agora for breakfast.

Lisa had tea, I coffee, a couple of breakfast sandwiches, and orange juice.  We got on the internet for a little while then I went to pay my bill.  The waitress told me it was 5.30 euro.  Lisa when to pay for hers and the waitress looked confused.  She then indicated that 5.30 was the total bill; what a deal.  After checking in at the next Albergue we asked one of the Hospitalero if it would be possible to leave my bike and panniers.  He would have to ask one of the Brothers, this was a monastery, later in the day and would let us know about 3 or 4 pm.  If the answer was “yes” Lisa and I would complete the Camion together, if the answer was “No…”   We acted like tourists visiting several sites in the town.  From time to time we would break out laughing about last night and wonder where our new friends were.  Well it was time to head back to the Albergue to see what the answer would be.

After a potty stop I found Carlos and asked him what the verdict was.  He gave me the answer; I tear up some then go in search of Lisa.  “SO!” she says.  “YES!” I say with tears in my eyes.  He said “YES!”  We hugged with tears in our eyes.  WE WOULD FINISH THE CAMINO TOGETHER!   Tomorrow I’ll put something’s in my rutsack, we’ll head for the bus station and travel to Astorga to spend another down day.  Then we’ll bus to Sarria and walk the last 120 Km to Santiago de Compostela.   Gary said that the Camino takes unexpected turns.  There is no way in my wildest imagination did I ever envision Lisa and I walking into Compostela, riding yes walking no way in hell!

The sacred Way: Being a pilgrim.

Stage One, Feeling what it means to be a pilgrim:  In reality we are all pilgrims as we travel though life.  My friend Mark and I call it the great experiment.  Our parents or caregivers are the first guides as we begin the walk.  Some of us will be filled with fear, others happiness, others with great expectations, then there are those with none.  Now toward the end of the road, life, one really begins to understand with it means to be a pilgrim and it is difficult to put into words.

Stage Two, Reading the signs as the Journey takes on a life of its own:  There are times the signs are there, but we chose not to read them because we are so caught up in what we think they should be.  This Journey certainly did take on a life of its own from the time Lisa got her foot operated on to today.   The trip was mean to happen even after two operations on her foot we went.  On the trail we lost each other and by grace of God came back together.  Now what started out as a bike ride across Spain will end walking like the pilgrims of old.  In the end stripped of all the worldly things we had dragged here being left with just us.

Stage Three, Awareness of companions along the way and why they are there:  Of course when riding there were only Lisa and I as companions.  Slowly others came into the picture but only after we independently made the decision to get rid of the baggage was there really time to become aware of our companions.  They were to be there when it was time for them to show up and I have no doubt that in the coming days there will be more.   I am now more aware then ever of the beautiful caring soul that Lisa keeps hidden so well and the personal cost of that.   We did not become friends by accident, but by our spirits calling out to each other.  Comfortable in each other’s presents when we’re at our worst and at our best.  Other companions are present even if not physically on the road with us.  For me there is a new perspective of our friendship and again spirits connecting.

Stage Four, History the story we witness = social, spiritual and political:  The deeper you go in Europe the deep you go in history.  You see it in the country side, the building and the people who have lived in the same towns and building for generations.  And, for generations have been helping pilgrims complete the journey just like they have done for Lisa and me since we began.  We are witness to the history of the Camino in each building we pass, each town we visit.

Stage Five, No longer an observer but becoming part of history: There is an awareness of the background that has shaped the people and land around you.   There is also a connection between us, pilgrims today, and those that have passed before and those that will come after.  We are part of this history now and forever.  Our names will be lost to time, but the energy we have put into this pilgrimage will go on and on.

Stage Six, Seeing where Heaven and Earth touch, seeing with the eyes of the spirit:  Heaven and earth, in my mind, most certainly touch on the Camino.  When you start looking with the eyes of your spirit it is so easy to see.  We who walk become one spirit and energy, touching each other’s lives.  The faith that pilgrims display in their caring for each other and those who care for the pilgrims as they walk is nothing short of being witness to a miracle.   This is what we humans can be to each other once we take off the filters that stop us from seeing each other’s beauty.

Stage Seven, Affirmation!  Opening to what is confronting and revealing:  Here is the hardest stage!  By the end you are confronted by truth’s that do not fit reality.  Things are revealed that show what humankind is capable of, what your life could be like should a different road be taken.  The Camino can be a very scary road as the familiar is left behind, and the trappings of the life are stripped. “You live a live not chose one”

 Buen Camion!