I continue to walk along and the Sun comes out to play, turning what had been a cool and easy saunter into a plodding and thirsty affair. I unwittingly find myself slowing waaaaaaaaay down and limp-plod my way up the then-ascending forest path. Fatigue has settled heavy upon me as I simultaneously round a bend […]
I leave the café feeling rested from its shaded bench and refreshed by its playful canine resident, the next 4 miles of walking are along a promenade blessedly shaded … “Just as the road ahead is not some predetermined path that I am forced to monotonously tread, life itself is not some droning obligation that […]
I make it nicely into the city of Eauze, the day’s final destination, and head efficiently* into the local church, once more to wholeheartedly evince my gratitude for yet another day of walking and to uber-sincerely affirm my resolve to – for Peace – continue ever onward … “It is one of the most marvelous […]
As I looked around the cathedral and soaked in its sheer magnificence, I came to once again realize a vital Truth: The closer one looks – no matter where one is – the more Beauty there is to be Seen* … “The Peace of Oneness comes while noticing the holiness in those less significant and […]
I made my way without great incident to Gite Bethanie (the lovely donativo hostel that Cindy had emphatically demanded I visit a few days ago) on the far outskirts of town, and expectations once again proved to be a generator of (in this case only mild*) disappointment — as my reception there was at best […]
I woke very early this morning – much earlier than usual – and found myself smiling while reminiscing about last night’s amusing late-night conversations: the fun “summer camp when it’s too hot to sleep” whispered laughings shared with a later-arriving Michael, and even the not-so-fun and sincerely apologetic “it’s late and you guys are keeping […]
Some might think that the fog obscures the wonders that lie ahead, and yet a different view maintains that fog but ladles a soft layer of wonderment upon the same – making the path ahead seem celestial; making the lilies by the roadside (and all similar grandeurs) suddenly appear as if from nothing … “A […]
And so it was that I flowed onward and upward – slowly and surely through the glimmering morn – until I finally exited a shaded tunnel of overhanging trees and emerged into a day clearly reborn … “Some have asked me if I have walked so very far to merit such an activity, and yet […]
I soon came across this cute little donativo* cafe for pilgrims. It was too early for anything to be set out for me, and yet I found myself feel deeply grateful nonetheless. For in truth there is no need to wait for personal benefits to accrue to be thankful. In truth, it is both more […]
I had heard from other pilgrims about the Chalet du Bonheur (the Cottage of Happiness) on the outskirts of Peyret – a place with a longstanding history of being overtly kind to any & all pilgrims in need, and so I decided to stop briefly by and offer the caregivers there yet another of my […]
I made it smoothly (albeit limping a bit due to still-sore right hip) to the town of Manciet, where I surreptitiously-yet-respectfully sneaked upstairs to use the town hall’s employee restroom and then more overtly (and just as Respect-fully) appreciated the Peace-full solace emanating from the Oratoire Saint Jacques – and this, despite the fact that […]
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