Cathay

Amy is taking a bus to Porto, Portugal on August 14, the same day I have a bus ticket to Lisbon, Portugal. Through email contact, we’re happy to learn that our buses depart within a half hour of each other.…

I feel a surge of joy and pride as I stand at the counter, before the officer. I watch him examine my pilgrim’s passport filled with the stamps which document my journey. I feel accomplishment as he prints my name…

“What? One more hill? I hadn’t realize that,” I say in dismay when a young man tells me there’s one more hill in these last six miles. We laugh and keep moving. We have to ascend Monte de Gozo (Mountain…

I walk behind this couple for a ways and admire the obvious love they share. The tender way they hold hands. I invade their intimacy by snapping a picture. I can’t resist. Then I quicken my gait to catch up…

I pass by a display of flowers planted in hiking boots! It’s perfect. And I think of how well my boots have taken care of my feet — Blessed and Lovely. Those are the names I gave my feet before…

Rain? Why yes, it continues to rain on me off and on. Actually, it’s raining on everyone, not just me! By noon the sun has come out, leaving drops of rain on plants and flowers to glisten. I walk even…

Along the way there are now markers stating how many kilometers are left to reach Santiago. Every time I pass one I feel a pang of sadness. I don’t want it to end! I feel as though I’ve gotten to…

Everyone in the bunkhouse was up and out before 6:00 a.m. It’s a funny feeling to be the only one left, but I am. Once on the trail, I enjoy the silence and the coolness of the morning. The sun…

By the time I finish today’s walk my legs and hips are really feeling it. Twelve miles is a long ways for me to walk in one day. I’m in pain. It’s hard to believe I can walk this many…

Happy birthday to me, I think to myself as I open my eyes. My 65th birthday. I’m experiencing it while on the walk of a lifetime. A friend texted that she had lunch with a small group of women. They…