Indeed the candlelight procession in Fatima was spectacular. We were so blessed to see the plaza lit up and everyone praying together in so many different languages. We had some very special intentions, for sure.
Amazingly, with all our legs have been through, we endured the rosary walk on our knees.
There is not much to report today! We spent 8 hours on the bus coming back to Santiago. We don’t leave for home until Monday morning – flight to Madrid, then a Madrid to Dulles. It’s strange – we feel a lovely connection to this city and it’s awesome to see all the pilgrims as they arrive after their long, long walk. Many of them look just like us – with funny tans, red noses, and a little rough around the edges. We share something very special in common – even if their motivation was different from ours. We all faced incredible challenges, and yes, some suffering. For those that joined for the last 100 KM, their blisters are new, and our hearts break for them. Ours are long ago healed, but we have a new kind of “ache” in their place. Our feet are itching to move!
Somehow, coming in to Santiago, we missed seeing a very famous statue – the one on Monte de Gozo – the Mountsin of Joy. It’s a spot where the pilgrims were first able to see in the distance the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago for the first time – the official end of their arduous pilgrimage. What a glorious sight it must have been for them! I actually took a photo the moment I first saw the Cathedral tower!
But we somehow missed seeing the statues. So we’ve been thinking about walking back! Imagine that! It’s only about an hour away – it would feel good to don the packs and boots and walk again!
Our good Lord cares for us so, and we have had a few unexpected surprises today! These next two weeks are the vacation weeks in Spain. All quite coordinated, it’s like the whole country goes on vacation! We came in to Santiago to a massive crowd, and a tricky time finding beds! But, as always, tender charity prevails, and our kind hosts make phone calls until we have a triple room for the night. What? A possibility of more rooms tomorrow? We are constantly being surprised!
At our last Mass in the Cathedral, our Priest reminded us that if we live our life with expectations, we miss God’s opportunity to surprise us!