So not my words...but when I opened up the Irish Catholic Mass Readings for the day at last night's PACKED Pilgrims Mass...the above was part of the Gospel reflection. To be honest in all my years of using this...I have never noticed any reflection!
At the homily the Priest walked down the aisle asking people where they were from. Spainish regions obviously. But German, Dutch, Puerto Rican Canadian, Indian and Slovenia where just some I heard. I figured it was best to just say Irlanda as some of them wouldn't know where Ballindoney is!
I woke at 2:30am and a few minutes later Catherine sent me a "best of luck" message, apparently you can't tell your children they should be in bed when they are 24 and living in the Middle East!
I said I was checking the forecast (which I then forgot to do!) and then head off. A few more messages answered and I set out the door at 3:24am.
This was a lovely 20km (plus 2km detour to the Pilgrim Statues). Almost ALL of my walking time was in darkness today...until daylight, not a single Pilgrim passed me. The downside of the early starts is you have to travel quite far before anywhere is open (normally 6am onwards)...so my first coffee was just shy of 15km today.
The upsides however...they are plentiful! Firstly, in my first post I spoke about the night sky. I though that these past two days would have been overcast and stargazing would not be on the cards. So much so that 3 days ago I made a note of the times I saw Orion's Belt (lazy astronomers that we are...that's Noreens and my "go to" constellation ..a bit like "our song" but...starry) so that if she saw it we'd know that we were looking at the same time. Turns out we did...for me to my left in Galecia, for Noreen from our bedroom window.
Today I would say every 15 to 20 minutes I would switch of my head torch and look up in awe at the majesty of the night sky...Crystal CLEAR. Another h er upside of the darkness was when I eventually placed my stones...I was completely alone and not self conscious of knelling at the side of a road!
It also means I am missing out on "scenery" but to be frank I have a view outside of our home that is far superior to anything I have seen here. That's not putting down Galecia...it is really lovely...hand made stone walls everywhere...but I'm not here to sightsee.
Today's thoughts on the road consisted mainly on two things. Noreen and I speaking last night were looking at the word "inspire", because, although it's something people have said to me, I don't see that in myself. But it got me thinking that for most of us...we don't believe we inspire others...but we DO. It may be a kind word or a simple action...but we rarely let people know. We need to accept that we are ENOUGH. Others see us in a way we very infrequently see ourselves. I love to challenge and to progress but I also need to recognise I am simply enough. In Noreens upcoming book she has a reflection called "The Forest". When she first read this to me I knew others needed to hear this. Simply put we can see our own flaws too quickly. but others see the entire you.
Anyway...onwards to Santiago...
About 1km from the Catheral (the end point) the lady who I had met on my first morning hike tapped me on the shoulder...we bawled our eyes out when we met and hugged in gratitude that we would "cross the line together". I had said to her that I was thinking this morning how fate can have such strange impacts. I had thought that if I hadn't met her for those few kilometres...and we hadn't been bitchin about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz we wouldn't have went off route...and I would never have downloaded the "Camino App" which has been such a comfort to me on the early mornings.
Then I met the Italian couple I encountered yesterday (again my first pilgrims of the day) we hugged like long lost friends. You enter the square via a stepped alleyway and there is normally (from videos I've seen) a Galecian Piper busking...and today was no exception!
The square was busy but not packed (this was about 10am) which meant we could get some photos without too much hassle. We trundled along to the Pilgrims Office to present our Credintial and receive our Compostella (although as I've said this means "Field of Stars" it is what they call the certificate. Very beautiful with your named added by hand in Latin.
Later on I was able to leave my rucksack at my accommodation but couldn't check in until 3pm...but I managed to change into clean clothes there at least...I stink...but my clothes are "presentable"!
At 1pm I joined a very large queue to get into the Catheral...but I was in by 1:20pm. It is stunning...didn't take too many pictures as there are plenty on line. Then you have to exit and join a new queue outside to come back in again to enter the Crypt...a beautiful experience to spend a few seconds in front of the reliquary. I clearly made a mistake in my original posting...this is James the Greater (not James the Lesser, who was also James the Just...known as the brother of Jesus and the first leader of the church in Jerusalem....not him so...the other one...as in James and John the son's of Zebadee who according to the Gospel were the witness's to the transformation along with Peter, and who Jesus commanded to keep watch and stay awake after the Last Super...he's the lad we're dealing with....church history 101 with Gerry 😆)
So EVENTUALLY ate a beautiful lunch at about 2:30pm...first thing I've eaten all day and finally got my room keys....quick shower and a brief snooze...and then Pilgrim Mass in the Catheral at 7:30. I reckon I'd need to be there an hour beforehand to get a seat.
I'll close off for now and I'll do a final installment on the train to Madrid tomorrow. Candles were lit for you all and your intentions today...if any of you win the lotto tonight...maybe you could remember that!
Buen Camino!!!
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