Buenos Dias!

Yesterday I hiked our hill - only did about 1 1/2 miles - but in a lighter pair of socks with my hiking boots. I don't know the exact cause - it may have been the hill or it may have been the fact I had less cushioning with those socks or maybe that I didn't stretch enough - whatever the reason, the back of my left ankle is very sore. So, while I'm waiting to heal, my Camino preparations will have to turn to a less-strenuous one: reviewing my Spanish!

Together and Alone

The last few days have been amazing regarding my preparations for the Camino. Jean, the originator of this greatly-anticipated pilgrimage, came to the East Coast and stayed with us overnight. We had a chance to take a 3-mile walk in the park as well as attend Sr. Laura's wonderful presentation, Thank You for the Music. Jean and I have the habit of walking just a little in front of people, almost as if we're pulling them along! Can you imagine what happened when the two of us walked together?! It was a brisk walk, believe me! I'm always afraid I'm not fast enough, and Jean asked me to slow down!

I'm really grateful for the experience of walking with Jean for a couple of reasons. First of all, it certainly gave me a sense of my own ability. I don't know how I'll do over the long haul, but I'm probably in better shape than I give myself credit for.

Secondly, I had a chance to see what it's like to walk with Jean. I've been used to walking by myself. In Grandma's on the Camino, the author sings the glory of walking alone. She says, "Here was a lifetime opportunity to be alone with myself and my soul for extended periods of time... To give my mind and soul a chance to hear the silence of the Camino and echo it back to me.... Walking solo was undoubtedly the most important influence shaping my overall Camino experiences." I have a sense that my own Camino experiences will be shaped by some alone time as well as togetherness.

If We Only Knew!

Tonight was the 30th National Night Out and I celebrated it by going out! After walking around Scotch Plains, I drove over to Westfield to enjoy some music on the streets. The VooDudes were playing at the train station, so I joined the crowd and thoroughly enjoyed the music. The lead singer wore a kind of washboard and played it right on his chest! The music had a great beat! One young mother bounced her child to the music as she held him in her arms. I thought he was about 3 years old, but found out he was 6! I imagined him 15 years from now, possibly going off to war.

As I glanced over the crowd I thought of a quote from Grandma's on the Camino:
Engrave this upon my heart: "There isn't anyone you couldn't love once you've heard their story." (Anonymous)

I began to see the people with new eyes, wondering who in the audience was unemployed? How many enjoyed their jobs? What deep concerns did they hold in their anxious hearts? For just a little while, perhaps this free, joyful concert distracted them enough to alleviate some of their stress. If we only knew their stories...

Blessed

Last week I was on retreat in Maine. When Sr. Theresina was a young sister (many, many years ago!) she was telling a mother of one of her students what she was doing over the summer. Of course, one of the things she mentioned was that she was going to make a week-long retreat. The woman commented that the only time she had ever experienced anything that resembled a retreat was when she was in the hospital having her babies. Since then, Theresina has told that story many times, noting how blessed we Sisters are to "have to" make a yearly retreat.

I was thinking of that story as I enjoyed a marvelous week of hearing about the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Venerable Catherine McAuley, by a Sister who has written extensively on Catherine - Sr. Mary Catherine Sullivan. I had a chance to walk about four miles every day as well, touring the St. Joseph's College campus. I am feeling especially blessed, and want to keep this sense of gratitude in my heart as I return to a very busy schedule!

Change

When I first entered the Sisters of Mercy, Sr. Mary George, in charge of us Postulants, used to always say around visiting day that it was not a compliment if someone in our family told us "You haven't changed a bit." I remember that well, because I cringed when someone in my family said that exact thing when they came for the first visiting day! I'm hoping it was because they were happy I hadn't changed in a negative way (maybe they thought I would become "holier than thou" or a "holy roller" or - worse still - "very serious"!!!).

Today I read in The Practical Sayings of Catherine McAuley:
"Even our nearest and dearest friends expect to find a change in us after we have embraced this state of life: they look for something different from themselves. Let us never give them cause to say, "she is not in the least changed; she is just the same as she was in the world."

From all I've read about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, change happens! I'll be interested in seeing what shape these changes take in my life.

Short, Careful Steps

Venerable Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy was a woman of prayer and of deep faith. Her philosophy was “Let us take one day only in the hands at a time, merely making a resolve for tomorrow. Thus we may hope to go on, taking short, careful steps, not great strides … Each day is a step we take towards Eternity … The final step will bring us into the presence of God." I want to reflect on this as I walk each day in preparation for the Camino.

Pilgrim

What is a pilgrim? The dictionary gives one definition as "one who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee." It doesn't say how the person travels. In some of the books I've been reading about personal experiences along the Camino de Santiago, I've noticed that there's a kind of "elitist" attitude among some of the pilgrims who walk the entire way (500 miles or so) towards those who do only part of the Camino, or those who do it the "easy" way: having their backpacks carried for them by car. But all of these people can truly be considered pilgrims, regardless of how they travel. Yes, a pilgrim can be one who takes a train to a shrine or holy place as a devotee. I'd like to offer my condolences to all the pilgrims who were aboard the fated train heading to Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday for the Feast of St. James, July 25th.