A Perfect Day

Today we are writing our fifty-first blog since we began this site. Not in a million dreams would I have thought we would become bloggers let alone writers of any sort. Thank you for reading, thank you for all your kind comments throughout these journeys, and thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We continue to pray for each of you as well.

A perfect day – besides the birth of children/grandchildren or your wedding day, how would you describe one of your perfect days? What would the perfect day look like to you? Would you know it if you were having one of those days? Some of us are so busy throughout the day that we don’t have time to even know how great our day is until we sit down at night and review the day.

Let me describe a particular day. But first….

I wish we had put an app on our phones to see all the zigzagging we’ve done throughout Portugal and Spain. They say we walked 290 kilometers which is 180 miles. We have walked extra places and taken a few taxis here and there, mostly to towns not on the Camino to experience them. We have met and heard the stories of people from so many places. The vulnerability with tears and laughter around the table have been extraordinary. A young mom with four boys needing some time to herself. A gentleman who just lost his wife in December to cancer. Another celebrating her 50th birthday and doesn’t know what life will be like. A camimo is an experience like no other.

We walked our last day with Peer from Northern Germany. A very interesting man. He is an economist and does tax consulting in Germany. He read a book about the camimo, decided to do it, however put it off for many years. He had a stroke due to a hole in his heart. They repaired it and now he’s not putting things off.

The Saturday before walking into Santiago de Compostela we were to walk the biggest hill of the trip, about 1,365 ft elevation climb to stay in a monestario for one night. It was a beautiful day with many pilgrims walking. I said to Jay, “Let’s not get any maps out today. Instead let’s follow the other pilgrims and yellow arrows.” I kept thinking this hill should be coming up anytime, but it didn’t. After five hours of walking we stopped at a bar and saw this note pinned to the wall.

Then I looked to see where our luggage was using the tracker attached inside. We were 11 miles away which was sitting at the monasterio. Oopsy! Missed a turn. To backtrack would have been another four and a half hours plus the big hill. Instead we finished out that stage on the central Camino and called a taxi to take us up the hill to our luggage. We missed the big hill and we are not sad at all.

The monasterio was wonderful. So peaceful. The nuns had a pilgrim blessing service that evening. They sang so beautifully, like angels all in Spanish.

What would we have missed had we walked the mountain? Here are a few things.

And, of course the note from someone from Edmond, Oklahoma.

The lavendarias are roofed rectangular pools of running water where the Gallacians would do their laundry. It was also the spot where woman would meet to speak freely without their men around. I’m guessing about their men, right? They are not normally thermal. Some still do their laundry in some of them.

We prefer the automatic self-serve lavendarias. They take 45 minutes and we’re done for a few days.

To describe our perfect day after fouling up the previous – waking early one Sunday morning with the coolness coming through the window in a 11th century old monasterio. Drinking a cup of hot tea as we pack up our things for the next stage. All bundled up and quietly leaving the monasterio our journey began down the mountain. The joy of the Lord comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

This day’s path was named Ruta de Piedra y Agua. (The route of stone and water). All alone we walked this path with a river next to us. Waterfalls and quiet pools you could swim or let the falls flow over you were with us the entire way. Birds singing, water flowing, and just the two of us for a couple hours. I wish we could have walked hand in hand the whole way.

Would we have described our perfect day like this before we walked this route? No. Jay said he would fly back to Spain just to walk this piece again. (He didn’t say anything about Lionfish spearing.) And perhaps next time we won’t miss our turn and walk the mountain.

There is a phrase written in stone in the plaza of a church in Braza. It says, “Mais Bela So No Ceu”.

Translation to English, “More beautiful only in heaven”. Even as perfect as that day was, oh, there are so many more to come that we can surely say there are beautiful surprises ahead. When I think of those who shared their hearts, I am reminded in Revelation we are told, “He will wipe away all the tears frim our eyes. there will be no more weeping, no more pain. Oh, our best days are truly ahead of us. The joy of the Lord comes in the morning.

We could write and write of other gorgeous days this past week, however we’ll just show a few additional pictures.

Cherish and recognize those perfect days. For the last time, Buen Camino.

Blessings, Jay and Kelly