Église paroissiale de l’Assomption de la Vierge
Prayed today’s Rosary at…
Camino: Bordeaux to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
I did not know I was tired until I slept and I did not know I was hungry until I ate. What a good night. I spent the night in the Mercure hotel in Bordeaux. A delightful place. The staff were very kind, even though I don’t speak a lick of French. Maybe they all roll their eyes after I turned away but I didn’t see it. I also did not sense it. Which I think is even more important. Check out is not until noon but I think I’ll pack things up here and head over to the train station. What better place to watch humanity. More later.
11:34 a.m. I am at the train station. I’m looking for pilgrims, but I have not seen one yet. I suppose in one way or another we are all pilgrims, but I’m looking for some very specific ones. I would like to wish someone, Buen Camino.
11:41 a.m. and as I stand here, I just remembered Blaine the Mono. Stephen King fans unite!
12:19 p.m. I have met my first pilgrim, although she walked it two years ago. She saw the Cross of St. James on my pack (thank you, Dana, for sewing them on—I haven’t forgotten our deal!) I am smiling. Becoming more real.
1:10 p.m. I just began The Road to Daybreak by Henri Nouwen. The first two sentences: “This is the first day of my new life! Though it sounds melodramatic, I cannot avoid feeling that something significant is starting today.” Ummm…..
2:23 p.m. on the train to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Many pilgrims.
3:24.
4:21 p.m. Arrived at my apartment for the next two nights. It is lovely—Gîtes Vue Montagne St-Jean-Pied-de Port. Five stars and I haven’t even checked out the bed.
7:53 p.m. I walked back into town to find a bite to eat and a few groceries for the next couple of days. Not much. Just a few eggs and bread. I’ll go back in tomorrow for a bigger meal.
As I walked, I was thinking about the pilgrims I met… no, “met” is the wrong word… encountered or bumped into along the way today. *WE* were all still caught up in our normal lives. We were rushing and pushing and jostling. We were not good pilgrims (I don’t even know that we are pilgrims yet.) We were our normal selves. Always in a hurry. Always checking the clock. Always believing that our journey is of utmost importance. Not true Young Grasshoppa. This—in my no miles on the Camino, yet, opinion—is not the Way of St. James.
St. James was guided by an angel to his final resting place in Santiago. Perhaps, instead of guiding our own path, we allow God’s holy angels to guide us… is that a statement or a question?
I prayed the Rosary today in a beautiful church. I understood that I was at the foot of the cross with Mary. I had my left hand on Jesus foot and Mary had a hand on mine. Mary had her right hand on Jesus’ other foot and I had my other hand on hers. We stood side by side. At first, I was distracted by the others coming and going, but Mary said for me not to listen to them. She said that I was to listen for His voice—that He would speak to me along the way. I will listen.
I lit a candle and asked her to pray for me along The Way. She will.
This peregrino is tired. Blessings to you all.
Journal Prompt: Week Two
Please comment below. When I return, we’ll combine some of your journal entries with mine and produce a printed journal of our adventure.
WEEK ONE PROMPT
Walking the Camino de Santiago is about letting go and relying on God’s grace and the kindness of others. “The Camino provides” is a common expression for those on the way. How do you turn your life over to God’s grace and the kindness of others? In what ways do you not only receive grace and kindness but also express it toward others?
Prayed today’s Rosary at…
Camino: Enid, Oklahoma to Bordeaux, France
It is 11:09 AM and I am in the airport in Oklahoma City. My flight doesn’t leave for a couple more hours so I stopped for some breakfast. It was Andy who drove me to the airport and he took a before photo.
The next leg of the journey will take me from here to DFW, where I have another short layover before heading out to Paris.
The flight to Dallas was uneventful and short. I am hopeful that the next flight will at least be uneventful! It will be long…. about 10 hours/5,231 miles. I hope to sleep which is something I can never do on a plane. Don’t take that as complaining! I get to do this thing. Having a few French fries before boarding because you never really know about what will be served.
It is 12:02 Paris time and we are taxing to the runway at DFW.
Sunrise at 37,000 feet. About an hour out from Paris.
Arrived in Paris without any trouble. Only was able to sleep for about an hour or so. I wish I could learn to do that. Sleep on the plane that is. Took a taxi to the Montparnasse train station, and then waited on the train.
Arrived in Bordeaux. 24 1/2 hours after I left. Long trip but not a complaint. I see sleeping in Babyland in my future.
A room with a pretty nice view.
I have two trains tomorrow, but really a pretty easy day. Only about three hours of traveling and then I will be at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I have two nights there, which I’m really looking forward to. Not only will it give me the opportunity to rest up from the trip, but I can also explore the town at a leisurely pace.
Camino: T-minus 15 hours 47 minutes (but who’s counting)
In the final hours leading up to departure from Sherwood Forest, I am finally at rest. Everything is packed, and the house is clean. If I have forgotten it, I probably don’t need it. If it is not clean, it’s probably not all that dirty. I now sit with a glass of wine and a movie that I found–The Wall (I know nothing about it, but the blurb says it is a tour-de-force performance by Martina Gedeck. I don’t know her either, but I’m glad she had a forceful tour.)
The alarm is set for 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. My trusty chauffeur will be picking me up at 9:00 a.m. (trusty chauffeur is good for a snarky comment below.) Roughly 24 hours after I wake up in the a.m., I will be landing in Paris. Bonjour. Merci. Parlez vous Francais? Nope. I’m from Oklahoma, and the only thing we parlez vous around here is… well, I was hoping for another Come-for-da-bull joke there, but it didn’t work out.
The Queen is on her perch, glaring down at me. She is beginning to catch on and the claws are flexing. Maybe I’ll make it out the door before she goes all screaming terrorist.
You all have a good night’s rest. I’ll try and update tomorrow, but I’m not sure how all that will work out, so it will likely be sometime Sunday and I’ll be in Bordeaux, France (poor me…. bwaahahahaha.) With that, “Good night, and good morning, in case we don’t talk before that!)
Camino: T-minus Two Days to Departure
I’ve packed and repacked the backpack about 6 times now. In the process, I’ve lightened the load by 7 pounds and got the weight down to 25lbs, which includes water. Several items in the first picture did not make the cut. The only real luxury item is the iPad. On a shorter trip, I might consider leaving it at home, but I plan on doing some other writing while I’m there, and a keyboard attached to the phone just wouldn’t work.
I’ve done plenty of walking with weight, so I believe all shall be well. If not, all my pictures will be of me sitting on a beach somewhere in Europe (life could be a lot worse.)
I’ve scheduled sixty days on the Camino with 46 walking days and 14 days off. This is what those stages look like, but could change once I’m there.
It looks a bit overwhelming when I look at some of the daily distances, but then I remember that it is not a race–although those 15+ mile days are a bit intimidating. On average, I’ll be walking 4 to 5 hours per day. Walk for a couple of hours in the morning, have lunch, have a siesta by the gurgling fountain, walk for a couple more hours, take off the boots, and enjoy the rest of the day. No problem (and everyone reading this rolls their eyes!)
I fly out on Saturday and arrive in Paris on Sunday Morning. From Paris, I take a train to Bordeaux where I’ll spend the night. The following day is a train ride to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where I’ll spend two nights getting my days in order and breathing. The pilgrimage officially begins on Wednesday, April 10th. If all goes well, I’ll be in Santiago around June 10th. Regardless of what happens, I’ll need to be back in Paris by June 26th–that’s my return flight.
For those who know her, the Queen is not pleased.
Am I nervous? Hmmm…. un poco.
Journal Prompt: Week One
I’ll be on sabbatical from April 1st through July 8th, with 60 days walking the Camino de Santiago. During this time, I’ll be journaling and blogging, and I invite you to join in the conversation. On Sunday evening each week–beginning Easter Sunday–I’ll post a journal prompt on my blog. I will need to approve your first comment, but afterward, you will be free to comment as you like.
Please comment below. When I return, we’ll combine some of your journal entries with mine and produce a printed journal of our adventure.
WEEK ONE PROMPT
Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord. Through this great act of love, how will you live into this new life that has been offered to you?
Sermon: Great Vigil
The words of the Exsultet, “This is the night, when…”
This is the night when the Church attempts to read all of Holy Scripture in one sitting.
This is the night when the choir and organist threaten to go on strike if I add one more piece of music.
This is the night when the parish administrator double-dog dares me to make one more change to the bulletin.
This is the night when the congregation asks, “Are we there yet?”
This is the night, the eve of our salvation when we enter into the darkness of the tomb and create a spark that becomes a flame that sets the whole world ablaze with the Light of Christ.
This is the night when we baptize Nolan, and Crawford receives his first communion.
From the song, December, 1963, by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, “O, what a night!”
Of all the liturgies throughout the church year, this is the highest and most grand. It is the culmination of all the other days and festivals, from the Incarnation to the Transfiguration to Good Friday to Easter. On this night, we remember all that God has done for His people, we give thanks for what He has done for us, and we celebrate the bringing into the Kingdom those new members who receive the cleansing that comes through Baptism and the participation of others in Christ’s body by becoming one with Jesus through receiving the Holy Sacrament. O, what a night.
Tonight is a reminder that we are not alone in this world. It is a reminder that the Church Triumphant—those who have gone before us—and the Chruch Militant—we today—are bound together in love through baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection. That through Jesus’ giving of Himself, we truly become one with Him and each other.
I will not be long-winded tonight because everything you see and hear is a sermon. So, I’ll encourage you to be one in Christ Jesus. So many things seek to divide us, but the bonds of love are stronger than any of these, and the only way those bonds can be severed is if we intentionally cut them ourselves.
You are Christ’s one holy catholic and apostolic Church. Let us receive Nolan into our family through her baptism and then participate with Crawford in his first communion. O, what a night.
“The candidate for Holy Baptism will now be presented.” BCP p.301.
Candle in a Cave 