Cathedral- Le-Puy-en-Velay

Cathedral, Le-Puy-en-Velay

a Marian shrine for centuries

Hail Mary, full of grace

The Lord is with you

Blessed are you among women

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners, now

and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Le-Puy-en-Velay was the jewel of a place I started walking from,

nestled in the hidden Auvergne,

in an old volcanic crater, with two rock 'needles' reaching for the sky.

Before I left home, Fr Chris Skinner told me of its significance in the history of his Marist order.

And though I am long estranged from church

I still sense some of the mystery

that Mary looks out for me like a mother

and I know that I walked all the way to Santiago

under the protection of the blessing given by the Bishop in the Cathedral of Le Puy.

Deo gratias

Be Mindful

two French men walking between Aroue and Ostabat, 

getting closer to the Pyrenees 

 

"Be mindful of the sound of your feet upon the road,

Be mindful of the warmth of the sun,

Be mindful of the smell of the earth after the rain,

Keep in mind the wonder of it all.

There’s a dance our bodies long to dance,

There’s a song our voices long to sing,

There’s a dream our planet’s dreaming of,

Sing and dance her dream upon the earth."

~from the song 'Be Mindful'

by Chris Skinner SM

If God is the Song

French family walking amongst the fields and wildflowers above Bessuejouls

"If God is the song and we are the singers

We are filled with the fullness of God

If God is the song and we are the singers

When we sing we are one with God"

~ From "If God is the Song"

by Fr Chris Skinner SM on the CD "Serenity"

I carried a little 'packet' of songs and poems and readings

to inspire me along the way.

In the early days, one of my favourite songs was

"If God is the Song" by Chris Skinner,

truly a song of joy.

But- one day in my very first week-

I had the words for this song in the pocket of my shorts

to reach easily, so I could sing as I walked along

and- it rained- drenching rain.

In coping with the rain and cold,

I never thought about the pieces of paper in my shorts pocket.....

So the words for this song, became irretrievably soggy....

By the way, 'next time'

I intend to sing more freely

without checking first that nobody can hear me...

I will not be so timid!!!

We say thanks

Spider web in Galicia along the Camino of St James, June 2008

"If the only prayer that we ever said

If the only prayer we said was thanks
That would be enough that would be enough
If the only prayer we said was thanks."

From the song "We say thanks"
by Fr Chris Skinner SM
on the CD Awesome God

The first few days walking when I started from Le-Puy-en-Velay
seemed surprisingly easy.
Though my feet did grow tender, I got no blisters,
and my 'training' back at home meant
I wasn't suffering from any sore muscles etc.

But then the weather changed.
It was a hard cold day on the first day crossing the Aubrac Plateau
and my feet became sodden.
Thus began a series of days with drenched feet that led to some blisters
and the soles of my feet became so tender I wanted to scream!!!

But somehow, in the midst of all the sore feet
I had a 'revelation' one day.
One of the 'pieces of paper' I was carrying to inspire me
held the words of the song "We say thanks" by Chris Skinner SM.

And one day I "knew"
that I could spend hours each day thinking about how sore my feet were,
or I could forget the soreness of my feet
and make sure I noticed the glory in the landscapes I was passing through,
and be thankful.

My feet never seemed to hurt so badly again
and that lesson of 'thanks'
was one of the most important ones of my whole Camino.

You will turn and stand with them

Pilgrim monument in Villares de Orbigo

"The time will come
When someone else who in need
Will turn and run
Afraid to face what lies ahead for them
And you will turn and stand with them
And you'll have found your strength within
Your treasure in a field"

From the song "Treasure in a Field"
By Fr Chris Skinner SM
on his CD "Awesome God"

Shortly after I took this early morning photo,
I happened to have a quiet meeting in a cafe
with a young woman who was rather desperate over her life.
Somehow I seemed to find 'strength within'
from hard times in my own youth
and I hope I spoke quiet words that perhaps helped her.
I still think of her.

Be still for the presence -v2

"Be still, for the glory of the Lord,
Is shining all around.

He burns with holy fire,
With splendour He is crowned.

How awesome is the sight,
Our radiant King of light!

Be still, for the glory of the Lord,

Is shining all around."

"Be still for the presence of the Lord"
recorded by Fr Chris Skinner on CD "Truly Blessed"

There were so many precious moments on the Camino
that quite took my breath away,
and left me in the Stillness-

~ sunrise over O'Cebreiro
~ a rainbow over the mountains at Orisson
~ spiderwebs covered in raindrops or dewdrops
~ fields of green dotted with red poppies stretching out ahead of me
~ a realisation of the courage someone showed, walking in pain

It was a 'truly blessed' time.

Golden Moments

"Another day has passed......

Have I recognised the gold these hours possessed?

Have I been caressed by the beauty there expressed?"

From the song "Morning Song/ Evening Song"
on the new album by Chris Skinner SM, "A Place at the table"

Again, this is a post with photos from closer to home,
but the desire to be 'noticing' details
is a gift I brought home from the Camino