Before we get started today, NEXT MONTH the title of iCare will officially change to The Pilgrimage. This is a better description of where I am in life and what I desire to share with you. We are all on a journey, a path, a pilgrimage. Today's story will assist you in understanding the why behind the title change...
I have traveled a lot for work and, sometimes for pleasure, too. My wife garnishes credit card miles like a wild-eyed person mining for Bitcoin, so we travel for free. Picking up on the vibe that readers enjoy history, culture, travel, and global issues, as well as lessons from my own personal journey and life experiences, we landed on a title change...
A LOVER'S LEGACY
The Camino is not well known in the United States, but it is gaining popularity. It is an 800km hike across the Northern part of Spain. Actually, there are varied routes that a person can choose, but they all converge at the ancient cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. During the journey, pilgrims (called peregrinos) pass centuries-old churches and homes and traverse the 2000-year-old Roman Road.
Stunning scenery mingled with salient culture and spiritual renewal.
The Camino began as a Medieval Christian pilgrimage, often called the Way of Saint James. It is believed by some that the body of Saint James is interred in the magnificent Santiago Cathedral. Pilgrims encourage each other along the journey with a variety of warm greetings. "Buen Camino!" and “Ultreia,” which, in Latin, means "keep walking."
My wife and I completed our second Camino in September. We are "all in"—and literally bought the proverbial tee shirt. It was a wonderful time of contemplation, reflection, and intriguing conversations with Europeans from all over the world. It is one of our most meaningful cultural/spiritual experiences.
While there, we would periodically check for postings on a Facebook group for pilgrims on the Portuguese Camino. One evening while trolling through the wealth of stories, the life journey of a guy named Mark became front and center. Let his story rivet your heart to the table.
I never met Mark, but I will never forget him. Mark is from Ireland. He was traveling the Camino all alone. Not because he wanted to, but because the love of his life, Deirdre, had recently died leaving him alone, dazed, and overcome with unrelenting grief.
Mark decided he wanted to celebrate the legacy of his lifelong soulmate, so he carved out a plan that touched thousands of pilgrims traversing the Camino last month.
He began leaving his dear wife's jewelry in conspicuous places along the Camino for pilgrims to find, keep and prayerfully enjoy as their own. A necklace was left on a bench. Precious earrings were left on the altar of a three-century-old church. A bracelet hung on a tree branch. The list goes on and on.
