The Journey's the Thing

This morning, Sr. Rosemary and I were marveling at the fact that it's already July 1st. We've been preparing for several months for our Golden Jubilee celebration in September. Fifty years as Sisters of Mercy! Wow! We still have a number of loose ends to tie up, and the days are flying by quickly. 




Having just celebrated with my St. Rose High School, Class of '63, however, I know that all those preparations took a lot longer than the actual events themselves. The weekend that we were so looking forward to came and went - almost in a flash! It's already a pleasant memory.


Then I thought of the Camino. I'm giving it a whole year of preparations: increasing the distances in walking, getting used to walking with a backpack, reading books and studying maps, trying to make wise purchases, talking with my sister and niece (future Camino-buddies) and people who have made the pilgrimage.... and.... What if I never get to make it after all?! What if, after all those preparations, something happens and I/we don't go in the end?!!! Would it all have been a waste of time?


I think not. I regard this whole year as part of the journey/the pilgrimage, and found two quotations that express this perfectly:

The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination. – Don Williams, Jr. (American Novelist and Poet)

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. – Greg Anderson