June 3

Day 20

Santiago

Today is our last day of walking and very bittersweet.  As much as my heart is drawn to Santiago I do not want my Spiritual Journey to end. They say we are not Pilgrims until we return home. 

As I’m waking up, Linda brings me a cup of coffee to bed. She is the best!!!! She travels with this little collapsible coffee pot that weighs nothing. I’ll be ordering me one for my next Camino for sure. She had never heard of my little washing machine, “Scrubba” so I’m leaving that with her for her next few weeks of hiking with her sons. I’m so happy to have my coffee in bed that I’m being a tad over joyful and singing about what a great day it’s going to be. Lorenz tells me he’s going to miss me and he has nobody happy in his life. My heart aches for him. When we met him weeks ago he wasn’t smiling and now he’s smiling and happy and telling stories everyday. I will pray for this bright young 28 year old who deserves happiness. 

     It’s overcast with possibility of rain but slowly the sun peaks thru for our last day. We stop for cafe con leche and a a Spanish Tortilla with Pedron Peppers on the side. 

When we leave the cafe and into the countryside we see a bright pink suitcase with wheels laying on its side. Lorenz jokes and says he had sent his bag forward. We all laugh at this bizarre sighting and wonder where it’s owner is. We pass by the most beautiful flower (as if it could be any more beautiful than all we’ve seen daily) and it looks like an opened Kiwi fruit. So delicate, perfect and wild. Linda and I ooh and awe and take photos. 

      The breeze picks up and the clouds roll as we get closer to Santiago. I walk slower as I don’t want this to end. I pray nonstop thanking God for this blessing and for all the prayer request sent my way as early as this morning. What a privilege to pray for others. My go to song I’ve listened to daily on this Camino has been “Blessings”....

“We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise”.

My exact feelings and prayers on this Portuguese Camino in this season of my life.  I’ve carried Ronnie’s picture with me as he smiled the 375 miles and saw signs from heaven of him, mom and dad. I’ve suffered hills, blisters, sore neck, thighs and feet, rain, heat and cold yet I don’t want this journey to end. HIS mercies in disguise. 

      Just before we enter Santiago we see Kelsa crossing a bridge alone. Dave is still not feeling well so he bussed into the city. She walks with us the last 2K. Lorenz leaves us at one junction as the hostel he’ll be staying at is close. He will leave at 4am to train to Madrid and fly home. It’s misting rain as we all hug him. Greg gives him his Panama hat he bought in Porto like a father would give a son or a man would give a friend.  We set a time to meet at the church and farewell dinner afterwards. 

    We pass my shops, cafes, cross busy street and see Pilgrims just like us with colorful backpacks entering the city. It’s a different entry than it was 3 years ago walking in from the Frances Route.  We see the huge magnificent Cathedral ahead round the corner to meet it head on.  

Santiago stands at the top as if to say “job well done”.  It’s a feeling indescribable. I was hoping the scaffolding would be gone from 3 years ago but it is still up and moved to a different section. Cleaning and restoration takes years. 

      It’s 4pm and we decide the line to get our Certificates is too long so we walk in the rain to check into our hotel after many photos. We are staying at San Miguel Hotel and it’s charming, modern and tucked away on the other side of the sprawling Seminary. We are given a room at the top with the best view overlooking rooftops and the Cathedral. It’s small and perfect. 

     After showering we locate on google maps where our clothes we wore on the plane were forwarded. We have a tiny window of 8-8:30pm to pick up because it’s Sunday. The rain has picked up and we walk with rain gear to 6pm Mass where Linda and Lorenz are saving us a seat.  The service is packed with people standing everywhere... hundreds if not thousands. The Butafumeria doesn’t swing but we will come again to the noon Pilgrims Mass tomorrow where every country is announced of Pilgrims who have arrived that day. 

    We have our farewell dinner for Lorenz and walk back to the Parador for a glass of Cava before bed. We all hug him and wish him a safe travel home and happiness for his life. We hope our paths will cross again but if not I feel certain that we’ve all learned something valuable from each other. God puts people in our lives for a reason. 

     What a bittersweet day it has been.  Joy and sadness all combined into one word.... Peace. 

Nitey nite as I go to sleep with a peaceful heart.