You know a friend really gets you when..

The Christmas after my first Camino, I received this from Rachael, and it is one of my all-time favourite presents

Last Camino, it was pinned to my pack. This year, it will be again with the additional sunflower charm.

Last Camino ended in the most horrific of circumstances with the death of my much loved brother-in-law Kevin.

It is in truth the reason I am not finishing the Camino Frances as was initially planned this year. It still feels too soon. Too raw. I would be starting where I finished last year and I can't do that yet

These past few weeks, as I have been packing and planning, Kevin has been in my thoughts a lot. There are still so many questions that we will never know the answers to. So many reminders of his sense of humour, his kindness, and his gentle, calm approach, and the void his passing has left in the lives of all of us who knew him.

The sunflower was one of his favourite flowers, and I have tried hard to find a fitting way to carry his memory with me on this walk. I dare say as with the final days of the last Camino, I will share conversations with Kevin as I try to make sense of that for which there is no sense.

As I swim in the sea at every opportunity I get, I will smile, remembering the laughter and fun shared with Kev on trips to the beach at Dongara.
Perhaps the Csmino will give me the chance to process so much.

A reminder that our mental health can be so fragileRead more