Father Jose Maria

I received word tonight Father Jose Maria, caretaker of San Juan de Ortega, has passed away.

What a wonderful man: Revived the Camino, offered refuge to us Pilgrims, served us Garlic Soup, and took the time to speak to us. I was awed when meeting him and will not forget his kindness. Here's the link to the post I did during my Camino.

San Juan de Ortega

Jurgen is sitting with him on the park bench.

One of my other walking companions was kind enough to tell him, in Spanish, for me, how grateful I was for the work he had done in getting the Camino revived.

I think of him often and will include him in my prayers. My dear and beloved St. James, please walk with him and share with thim all the blessings we are sending his way.

Gracias Padre, Vaya Con Dios!

A Beautiful Gift

I received a BIG surprise in the mail last week. A beautiful 16" x 16" (40cm x 40cm) calendar of the Camino from Harald.

Holding the package in my hand alone brought tears very close to the surface. The fact that he thought to send me something .... all the way from Germany to Utah. Then I opened it.

And I cried. Then I sobbed. Then I cried a little more. HUGE, beautiful pictures of the Camino. A whole year of them. Just for me!

I was explaining the emotion to a friend of mine: I told her that I "reference" Websites and books and people often about the Camino. My Camino Friends and all the authors all took the same road, seeing the exact same things. And every person has captured that "exact same spot" in a different way. From snails on a blade of grass to the blue skies above the churches, to the long stretches of trail. Somehow it all gets captured. It just takes a few hundred of us to pull ALL the beauty together again.

And then there are some who can do it so easily with a 16x16, .5 inch box. Thank you!

Friendships Grow

My dear friend and savior, Javier, does not speak English, nor does he own a computer. But he has a lovely daughter who I have become friends with. She writes excellent English is so very cheerful and passes messages between her dear father and I. I hope some day to see Javier again so I can thank him for his tender care in Granon. I hope some day to meet her as I find her to be a delightful person.

Ahhh the magic of the Camino.

Happy Feet

Joop posted about the feet pins on his site. It is so wonderful to hear him talk about our friendship. He's a wonderful man and was one of the "special people" who kept me going.

http://gaviota.shareyourstory.nl/verhalen/Happy%20Feet

Buen Camino little feet.

Much love to you Joop - you're wonderful!