Travel Planning: Advice from My 8 Year Old Daughter.
Though I love to travel and enjoy the adventure, I must admit that I am not fond of the challenges that can pop up when making the arrangements. It was my 8-year-old daughter, Allie, who had the answer that I needed to solve my dilemma. I was preparing for my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. I would be walking over 500 miles beginning in the Pyrenees of France and continuing through Spain; but first things first: I had to book my trip.
It was one of those days where the different legs of travel that I needed to coordinate would not fit together. I had spent several hours trying different options and as I let out a sigh of frustration, my daughter Allie walked in and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?” I shared that I was frustrated because I could not complete my travel plans for my trip on the Camino. Allie looked at me and said, “Mom, try flying to Lourdes, you know, where the young girl lived who saw Mother Mary.” I told Allie that I didn’t think...
Iām Walking Across Spain!
“You’re doing what?”
I could only imagine the shocked reaction my family would have to my announcement that I was going to walk across Spain. It was October 2014, and I had finally decided to fulfill my long-held dream to walk the legendary Camino de Santiago. Also known as the Way of St. James, The Walk of Forgiveness. The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage along the field of stars that follows the Milky Way, a journey of 850 kilometers over the French Pyrenees across Northern Spain.
As a child, I dreamed of being an astronomer. Now, I was actually going to follow the Milky Way. The Camino attracts not only Catholic pilgrims, but also many spiritually minded people who wish to test their resilience by hiking through several mountain ranges and the Meseta of Spain. It is a journey that crosses both harsh terrain and the landscape of the soul.
My heart was telling me it was time, so I prayed and asked for clear guidance on what would be the best decision for our...