A Lesson for the Pilgrim - A moment with your Mission Centre President

By: Kat Goheen, Canada West Mission Centre Co-President

Another learning from my Camino:

I planned my last 100 kilometers of walking so that I could arrive in Santiago de Compostela on April 22, doubling up on earlier days to leave only 20 kilometers to walk on the last day. My goal was to arrive in time for Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral without being overly exhausted. That last night my friends told me, over paella, that the big mass of the day was at noon, which I didn’t know! I left well before dawn so that I could arrive in Santiago in time to stow my pack at the post office and get a seat at mass. It was incredibly rushed, but worked out, along with meeting my dear Welsh friend! After mass, we queued up and got our Compostela certificates and ate a late lunch…and then, the rush settled. I had arrived. Nowhere left to walk – my next trip was a bus to Portugal, and a plane home.

My friends, who were devout Catholics, felt an extra glow about passing these landmarks. But for me, it was overshadowed with grief. While my feet were more than ready to come home, I had enjoyed the journey and was sad to see it end! My new Spanish friend gushed to me, “Kat, the Camino is life!” I replied, “Yes, but the Camino is over, and life continues…” With a direct look he spoke to my heart: “Your Camino is only beginning.”
 
I don’t know who needs to hear this. Maybe a job contract is ending, an illness is closing in, a church building is being sold, a camp is being cancelled. What kind of ending is this? What kind of beginning? The love we hold is not lost, and it can be a training ground for deeper relationships and wisdom to emerge. Let us learn from our experiences and claim the depth of soul they bring!