Fuenlabrada

Honestly, sitting here to draft this tonight, it is a bit overwhelming because the day had a few great moments. I will start at the most uneventful, but still, in my mind, worth noting today.
1. I did "unload" much of my luggage today. After a couple of attempts at the post office ( who knew you need a passport to mail a package to Canada?), a very helpful and friendly lady...has sent my stuff to Canada. What is most remarkable about this is the number of people at the post office sending stuff home! Every other person was packing stuff into a box to send forward!
2. The Camino seems to find a way to help each other. I tied an elderly man's shoes this morning and tonight at a cafe, I met a pilgrim and, now, friend from Australia who helped me figure out my phone problem. I now have a Spanish phone number! I think I can even use I messages! Funny enough...she also sent "stuff" home to Australia today too!
3. Food management is a thing in Spain...they do NOT eat until 8 pm! Diana (new friend) and I met at one of the few cafes serving tapas before 8 pm. She asked me if I spoke English, and what I was eating. I said, yes to the English, and I have NO idea what I am about to eat...turned out to be mushroom and egg...it was very good with a glass of wine or two in the company of a new friend!

4. So what I thought was going to be a pretty unremarkable day (a reasonably flat, 16 km) turned out to be incredibly remarkable. My soul is healthier today, even if my feet aren't!

There is a fork in the Camino near Zabaldika. A pebble was bothering me, so I stopped before I even realized this was a fork in the road, and as I was sitting there, I noticed a pilgrim travelling in the other direction. I called out to him that the path was to the left, and he said he was going to the church. So I followed him. As it turns out, following this camino ( which is the old route) leads up a steep but short climb to a modest church.

The church of St. Esteban is a tiny church built in the early 13th century that has not had any major renovations since! At the door, I was greeted by a man who handed me a copy of the church history and explanations. More importantly, he handed me the "Beatitudes of the Pilgrims".

I came on this Camino with a deep urge to settle into my life. Meeting other pilgrims on a shared journey, unloading my baggage, and a quietness settling on my soul, the Camino has called me. The Beatitudes resonate with me deeply, and sharing them with you is the calling of the Camino.

The Beatitudes of a Pilgrim
1. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover that the road opens your eyes to the unseen.
2. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if what concerns you most is not getting there, but getting there with others.
3. Blessed are you, pilgrim, when you contemplate the road and discover it full of names, and dawns.
4. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover that one step back to help another is worth more than a hundred steps forward.
5. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if your backpack is emptying of things and your heart does not know where to hang so many emotions.
6. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you lack words to express your gratitude for all that surprises you at every turn in the road.
7. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you make your way a life and your life a journey in search of the One who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life".
8. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if on the way you meet yourself and give yourself time without haste so as not to neglect your heart.
9. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover the road has much to do with silence, and silence with prayer, and prayer with an encounter with the God of Love who awaits you.
10. Blessed are you, pilgrim, for you will discover that the true journey begins when it ends.Read more