When his time comes, I prefer my father die in his sleep, at home, surrounded by his family. What I don’t want? For his death to come while walking the Camino de Santiago. I can’t recall when this possibility first crossed my mind. Probably back in the planning stages when a sibling wondered if our…
Category: Camino
A-Camino-A-Day. . .
I snapped a picture of the Camino trail marker and laughed to myself, recalling a conversation I’d had back in 2020 with my youngest sister Meg. “Would you ever do a winter Camino?” she asked me. She had just seen the video I’d made of my first Camino with my father and I knew where…
Learning Spanish: The Lost Luggage
June, 2012: After 37 days walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago, every pilgrim knows what a mochila is. But maletas? I’d heard the word, and knew it had something to do with luggage, but I wasn’t clear on the exact definition. Until . . September, 2021: Dad and I were on our second Camino. Our bags…
Outrageous Goals
I don’t do it regularly. But every once in a while I make myself some (outrageous?) goals. I put a date on them. Put them out to the world. Take baby steps towards them. And then the world opens up, embraces my idea, gives me an avenue I’d never imagined, and hands me my wish…
A New Chapter
Just weeks into dating, Michael gave me a gift: a ceramic journey boat filled not with people or goods but with a scene. An old church sits upon a green hill, a river flows in front of it, a small stone bridge connects the churchyard to another tree-dotted hill. It was one of many precious…
Coming Home (to St. Jean-Pied-de-Port)
As I walked down the cobbled Rue de la Citadelle, I saw her standing outside her home chatting with two gray-haired men. Oh good, I thought. She’s still here. And somehow I felt like my world was coming back together. I don’t know her name. But I’ve been in her home. Three years ago I…
The Intersection of Dairy Queen and The Camino de Santiago
Steam rose from the water in the plastic measuring cup. I slipped the knife in, paused, pulled it out, then hovered a second to let the excess water drip off. Touching the tip to the center of the ice cream cake, I used all my strength to break through the hard chocolate shell. With great…
Hospitality
Our little albergue (hostel) at the top of the hill in Grado, Spain had it’s windows flung open and a welcoming geranium on the sill. Those that made the short climb would find our open door, our smiling faces and, sadly, The Sign–the one that every pilgrim along the Camino de Santiago dreads seeing on…
Living The Dream
I’m living the dream. If you saw me now, sitting on a chaise lounge on my private deck overlooking the ocean, you might think my dream was to live on a tropical Caribbean Island. But no. My dream? To live next door to my husband. I love Michael. I enjoy living with him. But there…
Best Moments of 2017
It’s that time of year again. Here goes, off the top of my head, and therefore in no particular order. The moment Michael proposed. Of course. The moment I tried on my first wedding dress. I detest shopping. So my mother came down and we booked an appointment. In an hour I had tried on…
RenaissanceRebecca 