“Dear God, I sometimes fear … Let me have the courage to Love anyway. Dear God, I am sometimes sad … Let me have the courage to be joyous anyway. Dear God, I am sometimes desirous … Let me have the courage to do good for others anyway.” ~ from my Camino journal
Here, the “Maseta” (Spanish for “plateau”) is in the full force of its raw nothingness. Traditionally, this 200+/- mile stretch of the Path is the region where pilgrims often experience the internal catharsis & purification that comes from the prolonged exposure to such radical austerity. Personally, I found this section of the journey very soothing, […]
And then there were certain “oases within the dessert”, and San Bol (shown in the very center of this picture) was one such stop. This small, extremely austere hostel has only been staffed by “floating hospitaleros” for years — where one pilgrim simply decides to stay on for a time and care for others until […]
… San Bol, seen from its front entrance. “You don’t have to know the entire road; you just have to take the step that is before you.” ~ inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The San Bol Labyrinth … “The traveler Sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” ~ G. K. Chesterton
Fully re-charged with the Love of San Bol, I’m back on The Path once again … “When you are everywhere, you are nowhere … When you are somewhere, you are everywhere.” ~ Rumi
“How far are you going to walk?” ~ Scaughdt to fellow pilgrim “Today.” ~ fellow pilgrim to Scaughdt
… the ruins of St. Anton … “Ubi Caritas et Amor, ubi Caritas, Deus ibi est.” ~ Latin hymn [Where there is Kindness & Love, God is truly present.]
“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
… the first glimpse of Castrojeriz … “Lord, help me to remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look to the future with courage.” ~ Pope John Paul II
“Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.” ~ John Muir
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