Take these words to heart, and let them be a balm to your soul: “The world is not as bleak or as vast as we imagine. We are stronger than we think and less alone. Other people are our armor and our barricades. They are our place of safety. Too…

We are living in a time of in-between—the time before COVID, and the time after COVID. We are still waiting, holding our breath, easing into an uncertain world where things look and feel different than the before-time. When someone asks us, “What did you do these last fifteen months?” and…

How are you, dear? It’s been so long since we’ve spoken. I know you say you are fine…but how are you, really? Our world has been upside down for so long now that the days are slipping into weeks and the weeks have turned into months and the months have…

For many years a stand-in for the little bird that captured my son’s heart and brought light into our life has traveled with me everywhere I go. For the first time, as I gazed at the cathedral in Santiago, it became clear that it was time to pass her on…

Over 20 years ago my mom walked the Camino with three of her best friends. I was 29 at the time, raising a young family with no idea what life had in store for me. Each September after that, those same four women traveled together. And each year as I…

Our first glimpse from Monte do Gozo of the Santiago Cathedral in the city below brought tears. I found a beautiful spot to leave the Galician farmer’s walnuts where they will have a stunning view of the city in the distance. Five more kilometers to go and the pilgrims are…

One pilgrim I passed today on my way through the town of Arzúa had a small gourd tied to his pack with a green shoelace. Another pilgrim had a ribbon with seven silver beads wrapped around the neck of a water bottle, and still another carried a tiny pair of…

We are 5 days into our 9-day pilgrimage and we have settled into a comfortable groove. We’re up early each morning and are on the Camino when the air is still cool and the fog hangs low over the trail. My body is refreshed, and a single cup of café…

The Camino is full of stories. Not only for those who walk to Santiago, but for the people who live along the Camino. The ten-mile path from Sarria to Ferreiros cuts through tiny villages, pastures, backyards, gardens and a hay barn. It wanders along the edge of a creek and…

I made friends with my boots today. I’ve never had an exclusive relationship with my hiking footwear, and if truth be told, I’ve been a frequent buyer of hiking boots at Zappos and REI during the last 6 months while preparing for the Camino. I currently own an assortment of…

After two long days of planes, trains, busses and automobiles, Jon and I arrived in León, Spain—the midway point on the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims of all ages walk through the center of town guided by brass scallop shells imbedded in cobblestone streets or etched in sandstone on the sides…

Bucket lists aren’t my thing. I would rather look forward to something purely for the joy it gives me in doing so. When it arrives—whatever it might be—I try to embrace it wholeheartedly and with a sense of wonder. In looking ahead to a certain birthday this year where I…