Camino Gratitude Primitivo

A dark and cold 6 am start this morning in Castroverde set the tone for a long journey to San Romão da Retorta. The 42 km stretch was marked by light rain and a quiet rhythm as I passed through the ancient Roman walls of Lugo, home to its magnificent 900-year-old Cathedral.

The physical exertion of the Camino often strips away the illusion that we are in charge. While I plan the tactical details, where to find coffee or fruit, I am reminded that God is moving in ways I cannot understand or control.

This became clear today at the Cathedral. I met an older woman, a beggar with dirty clothes and no teeth. She wouldn’t look up until we shared a conversation. When I asked her for a hug, she held me and my backpack tightly for a long time. In that silence, as we stared at one another afterward, I realized she was a gift. She will stay with me longer than any Camino moment.

As St. Augustine once said: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

Tonight, the “adventure” feels personal. I am staying in a country albergue with a cozy wood-stove fireplace. Having walked with a dozen of these pilgrims for over a week, we are no longer strangers. We will eat dinner together tonight by the fire, sharing stories and laughter, reminded that while we walk the path, we do not walk it alone.

Buen Camino!