I just saw "The Way" with Martin Sheen and written and produced by Emilio Estevez. LOVED it! Just ordered copies for everyone in my family. I know my family does not understand this drive, this desire to walk pilgrim treks. Maybe if they watch The Way, they will discover that everyone who walks a pilgrimage walks for his/her own personal reasons. I remember seeing this quote along the via francigena in 2010 by Antonio Machado, "Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar." (Translation: Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking.)
It's true. Over the last three years, I've been learning step-by-step to let go of destinations and to embrace the process. The only way to know the road is to walk it, to discover it by experience. And what I've learned along the way is that people may pleasantly surprise you if you give them a chance.
Like the main character in The Way, I found an amazing kinship with perfect strangers as I walked the old Canterbury Trail. From the Dutch couple to the fabulous, kindhearted Belgians and French people who took me in along the way...to the gracious Italians who welcomed me with open arms and bottles of cold water and food for me and for my dog...and stories shared over cups of cappucino...I found my faith restored. I didn't start out as a religious pilgrim. But I found my faith in God, in his design for the universe, and in the kindness of strangers which exceeded all of my expectations. And the friendships which were forged through the hardship of that pilgrimage continue to take deep root in my heart.
No matter which pilgrimage trek you choose, I wish you Buen Camino (Bonne Route) and endearing friendships along the way.
