Day 081o: A partakened Peace to Patricia … (July 04, 2019)
I thought I was going to be walking alone once again as I departed from Estella, and yet I very soon met back up with Mate on the far outskirts of town and we decide to walk together a ways, with one of our more memorable stops soon arriving in the form of the Camino’s famed “Wine Fountain” – essentially a drinking fountain outside a local winery that dispenses red wine on demand to passing pilgrims. The fountain itself was running dry by the time Mate & arrived (with only a trickle of wine coming from its open font) – which was just as well, considering the fact that I don’t really drink alcohol at all in my daily life and am an “extra lightweight” when it comes to holding my liquor – and yet we were able to both drink the equivalent of one small glass each during our stopover there. Far more amenable than the wine, however, was our encounter with Patricia & Dave, a lovely couple from Minnesota who happened to stop by the fountain at just that time. It turned out that Patricia had been inflicted with a later-0stage cancer that precluded her from realizing her dream of walking the Camino, and yet that the Wine Fountain proved to be a short enough jaunt from their Estella hotel for Patricia to manage. Our meeting was a truly heartfelt one that day – one of those miraculously intimate “shining moments” for which the Camino is in part infamously known – and great gifts were exchanged (peanuts & bread from Patricia & Dave to Mate & I, and a hand-made Peace Stone I offered to Patricia), none more meaningful than the deep-seated affection & vulnerability we all chose to proffer. Mate was especially moved by the encounter, so much so that he gave Patricia a cherished bandanna and a very special seed he had been carrying (“That your health might soon blossom” ~ Mate to Patricia) before we finally parted ways … 🙂
“She taught me all about true sacrifice; that it should always be done both willingly & joyfully – always from a place of Love; that it should always be given immediately when needed – not only after all other options have been exhausted; that it should be done for people who need your strength – alone for the simple reason that they don’t have enough of the same at hand … Remember: the best use of life is Love, the best expression of Love is kindness, and the best time to Be Kind is always now.” ~ inspired by Veronica Roth
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