Good morning…
I finally found the right moment to open the envelop appearing in our mailbox. One early morning, I unfolded the newspaper and out dropped a note in my dad’s handwriting, “We thought that you will enjoy this article. Love, Mom & Dad.”
“The Camino increasingly draws spiritual pilgrims who are non-religious,” reads the title of the article written by Ellie Davis. “In her early 30’s, Rachel Sanborn found herself in a bad relationship and dreaming of an escape to the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a pilgrimage her father had undertaken that had profoundly changed his life,” explains the first line.
“Look at that,” I thought, “a father-daughter pair bonding to inspire my own intimate connection with my dad and my mom.”
“Sanborn represents a growing trend of non-Catholic – even non-Christian – pilgrims venturing on the Camino,” the article continues. “In 2023, nearly half a million people walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. About 40% of those walked for purely religious reasons, according to statistics released by the pilgrim’s office. While it is traditionally a Catholic pilgrimage, ending in the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, secular pilgrims today embark on the Camino for all kinds of motivations beyond religion: health, grief, transition, cultural exploration, history and adventure.”
“Sharon Hewitt of St. John’s in Newfoundland, Canada,” for example, “walked part of the Camino for all kinds of reasons in the fall of 2016 with two friends. Her motivation was to spend time with friends and take a “purposeful” vacation. Hewitt doesn’t consider herself religious but recognized a type of devotion in the rituals and challenges of the eight days of walking.”
“‘I didn’t do it for religious reasons, but there is overlap,’ says Hewitt. ‘A lot about religion is discipline, just like the Camino. After a hard night, you still get up and go on.'”
Facing my mom’s significant health issues over the past few years, my parents know about discipline, still getting up and going on after a hard night. Their thoughts are with us from Ohio as my husband Steve prepares to lead our first pilgrimage with a group to the Camino, an adventure my parents will enjoy vicariously. Them praying for us, us praying for them, I will keep my parents in my heart as I walk every step.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5, WEB).
…Sue…
P.S. Please reach out to me personally if you are interested in our next pilgrimage to the Camino. This year, we are walking the section of the Camino called “the french way,” beginning in Sarria, Spain. Next October 7-16, we will walk “the Camino Portuguese”, another one of the spiritual routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Before then, explore the next awesome trips Steve is leading through Lovett Expeditions.
“Vacation with a Purpose” – Pacaya Lodge, Nicaragua – Feb 5-9, 2025 – Click here for information
