The day was nearing its end as I neared the small city of Montfaucon when I noticed a scallop shell — the traditional symbol of the Camino — emblazoned upon the front gate of a walled-residence on the very initial outskirts of town. Reason had me thinking that it still a bit too early to stop for the night and logic noted firmly that such a “high end”, B&B-type pension would probably want nothing to do with yours truly and his mendicant path, and yet intuition (often known as “the Heart”) had a very different notion, and I found myself ringing the doorbell (something I rarely had done up to that point, and something I rarely did thereafter) … :O … Annick, the co-owner of the hostel, came out and I told her of my Walk and asked if there was possibly any place inside where a pilgrim-of-old could lay his head for the night. To my great surprise (and greater gratitude), she said “Of course!” without even the slightest hesitation … :O :O

So in I went — through the front gate and down around back, to the rear of the house where her husband (Bernard) was mowing the grass. He was equally gracious in tending to yours truly (their fully unexpected and quite dusty guest) — setting me up in my own little bungalow in the backyard, allowing me to shower and wash my clothes and rest awhile in the lavish guest apartment in the main house, and then feeding me twice — first a tasty meal of pasta & fresh radishes (pictured below) and then later a second repast of homemade veggie soup, fresh bread & red wine … :O :O :O

Finally, they came down once more to chat with me a bit (in admitted wonderment) about the how’s and the why’s of my Walk, to wish me well on my journey, and to offer me a salt bath for my still aching feet (pictured in the 1st comment box below). They said they were going out for the night to the movies, that I could stay in the main apartment for as long as I wished that evening, and that we wouldn’t see each other in the morning (as they were going to sleep in). That said, they both gave me a heartfelt hug and then left me alone in their lovely Home — overflowing with feelings of Love & Gratitude, for the world as well as for The Way … 😀 😀 😀

“Gibran believes that to know Love we must let it shatter us. And yet it is important to remember that, regardless of where we lay our pain’s blame, it is we who actually shatter ourselves on the jagged rocks of our own hopes and expectations — and that it is actually Love and Love alone that then makes us whole again.” ~ anonymous

P.S. Bernard was pretty cute scurrying around trying to set up a footbath that would accommodate my Size 17 feet … 😀

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