It took a bit more doing, and yet I did eventually make it into the city of Le Grand Lemps. This was a larger town by Camino standards, and I was at first more than a bit skeptical about finding anyone willing to take me in, and yet my doubts — as doubts are so often wont to do — proved to be baseless. Indeed, as was so often the case on days that ended with me feeling a bit exhausted, my very first stop on this day was also the local Catholic church. And while the church itself was closing when I arrived (I was still able to soak up a bit of its soothing ambience before it did so), the church parish was just next door, and a beautifully jovial Julien (pictured below) answered when I knocked there. Congregation member Francoise (pictured as well) also happened to be passing by on her bicycle, and the two of them — after hearing the overarching tale of my Walk — proceeded to go out of their way to help me, with Francoise even going so far as to bike ahead to the town’s donativo hostel to let them know I was on my way, and then biking back to accompany me right to the front door of the same … 😀

“It may be that two Souls meet and are not destined to remain long together in this world. They touch each other briefly and then part company; each having other work to do. And yet even though such meetings are fleeting, their loving essence cannot ever be fully forgotten; their Love — however swiftly given — is pure, and remains ingrained forever on the Soul of the one to whom it is given.” ~ inspired by Reshad Field

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt