What then followed was a several-kilometer stretch of The Way that was regularly sprinkled with jubilant reunions with pilgrim-friends past – first James (whom I had amusingly called Sebastian in Granon and then Dave in Hontanas) and then Javi & Gines (who offered me a hunk of their precious fresh bread) and then an uber-exuberant Sam & Eva (seen below – the former second from the right, the latter second from the left); the Taiwanese duo who I had first met way back near Orisson on my first day crossing the Pyrenees, and who joyfully showered me with hugs and food before proceeding along their very-merry way …

“When I became a pilgrim, I spent my days much closer to society’s lowliest of the low: those seen as vagabonds or loafers or galavanters or moochers; those who had chosen to abandon all things normal & familiar & appropriate in favor of a life filled with humble seeking and bold adventure. And yet quite contrary to what I had been told about such No-Gooders, I found that they all embraced a hardscrabble beauty and grace. Not a single one of them were criminal or mean in their nature, and were almost to the last willing to endure much smilingly for whatever cause they had chosen. The Road had instilled in them not only a deeper appreciation for life’s smaller things, but also a sense of generosity that bordered on the glowing. Giving for them had become as wondered as receiving, and they were equally joyous when knowing either. They remembered the smallest acts of kindness shown them previously, and praised others as easily as the breeze flows through the trees. They had chosen the road less traveled and were Good Ones, and I felt called to help them get even a little bit closer to Peace.” ~ inspired by Ken Liu

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