Happiness within you

snow on the ground leaving Montbonnet

  

"Your success and happiness lies in you. 

Resolve to keep happy, 

and your joy and you 

shall form an invincible host against difficulties."

~ Helen Keller

For Kay and Craig

'climb' in the Auvergne region

on the first day out of Le-Puy-en-Velay

(This post is especially for Kay and Craig 

who are both about to start walking from Le-Puy-en-Velay in the coming week.)

"Watch your way then, as a cautious traveler

and don't be gazing at that mountain

or river in the distance

and saying, "How shall I ever get over them?"

but keep to the present little inch that is before you

and accomplish that

in the little moment that belongs to it.

The mountain and the river can only be passed

in the same way

and when you come to them

you will come to the light and strength

that belong to them."

~Kelty

Found on the sidebar of Mary Pott's blog 'Landing on my Feet'

in honour of her daughter who died of cancer aged 18  

Courage

 Spring appearing on the descent from the Aubrac Plateau

"Courage doesn't always roar. 

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice 

at the end of the day saying, 

"I will try again tomorrow." 

~Mary Anne Radmacher

Occasionally there were 'hard days' on the Camino.

One such day was the first day of crossing the Aubrac Plateau when I got so wet and cold. 
It wasn't the wet and cold that was so hard, it was the fact I was walking alone in those conditions, 
and knew there was a chance of becoming hypothermic, alone. 

So the next morning, I had to 'make myself' walk on.... 
I had to take my own courage by the scruff of the neck 
and walk on for the second day of the Aubrac crossing. 

And at the end of the day as I descended from the Plateau to a lower altitude,

even though I felt exhausted

there was the joy of seeing the world around me

change into early spring...

Instruct ourselves... in joy...

en route for Aumont-Aubrac

               "It is what I was born for - 

                      to look, to listen,

to lose myself

    inside this soft world -

              to instruct myself

                     over and over

in joy

   and acclamation.

      Nor am I talking

          about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,

    the very extravagant -

       but of the ordinary,

           the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations."

~Mary Oliver

from the poem, 'Mindful'

It seemed like quite a long day from Les Faux to Aumont-Aubrac,
and when I checked my e-mail for the first time since leaving Paris
there was some sad, hard news about a family at home.

But even though it seemed like a bit of a dull, even difficult day,
the sun still came out 
to leave the shadow of this tree on the ground
a quiet bit of joy to notice.

Early Morning

In the countryside after Astorga- walking early- 
with the remnants of a thunderstorm still in the air

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time."

~Emily Dickinson 

On warmer days in France and Spain 

I always preferred to start walking in the morning cool.

To walk as the world awoke to a new day 

was always a time of real joy for me

deep quiet joy.

And this particular morning I walked with my Quebec friends.

It had been an unbearably hot night,

until in the early hours, a loud thunderstorm began. 

We were glad to escape early, 

though nervous lest the storm return while we were in the open.

We were all excited, after so many days of 'flat' walking

to be heading for the mountains again, 

towards Rabanal del Camino... Foncebadon..... Cruz de Ferro...

places of mysterious names, 

all in the higher land that we couldn't wait to climb.

Showing Love

With friends met on the Camino, in Santiago near the Cathedral 
 

"The only thing we really have to work at in this life

is how to manifest love."

~George Harrison

In this photo are three friends- two from Quebec and one from France.
Met on the Camino, they are jewels in my heart forever.

H/T to Mighty Ambivalent Catholic blog for quote, in a thought-provoking post

On this beautiful path....

 en route between Cirauqui and Estella

"The mind can go in a thousand directions, 

but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. 

With each step, the wind blows. 

With each step, a flower blooms."

 ~Thich Nhat Hanh

I loved the beauty in these early days walking in Spain,

with fields so unexpectedly green and 'spring-like'

and medieval villages and bridges

that reminded you that you walked in historic steps.

Medieval pilgrims, ancient Romans and even those from times lost in pre-history

have also walked here.

Pilgrims on a journey

  Ultreia Gîte, Moissac:- Hosts: Rom and Aideen

"We are pilgrims on a journey
We are brothers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load

I will weep when you are weeping
When you laugh I'll laugh with you
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through"

~from "the servant song"

by Richard Gillard

Rom and Aideen have moved from their homeland of Ireland

to serve the needs of pilgrims on the route to Compostela.

This gîte is their home

where they offer warm hospitality

and genuine care for pilgrims. 

I count them as friends, and hope to return to visit them one day.

There are several moving verses in this song,
but I chose the one about laughter and tears 
as they are two things I think most pilgrims come to know well....

Peace- in the present moment

seen soon after leaving St Côme d'Olt

while walking along a peaceful road near the River Lot

"Peace is present right here and now, 

in ourselves and in everything we do and see. 

Every breath we take, every step we take, 

can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. 

The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. 

We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

"Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life"

Lead me to your holy mountain

on the Route Napoleon, heading towards the pass over the Pyrenees

Send out your light and your truth, 
Let these be my guide, 
 to lead me to your holy mountain  
and to the place where you live.  
Then I shall go to the altar of God, 
 to the God of my joy,  
I shall rejoice.

Ps 43: 3-4

The Road

on the Meseta

early one morning

The Road

Here is the road: the light

comes and goes then returns again.

Be gentle with your fellow travelers

as they move through the world of stone and stars

whirling with you yet every one alone.

The road waits.

Do not ask questions but when it invites you

to dance at daybreak, say yes.

Each step is the journey; a single note the song.

~ Arlene Gay Levine ~

found in a post on the Camino Forum

by Nandy 61

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

Awe and Wonder

The lushness of spring, in the countryside after Lauzerte

"The elemental spirituality is awe and wonder and delight before the creation. 

The mountains, the birds, the flowers, the children

reach out and touch us with wonder and with joy.

We sense a wonderful Creator.

We respond with thankfulness,

sometimes reverence,

engaging with the holy."

~From "We Well People" 

a book about Celtic Spirituality

by  a New Zealand author, John Hunt

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!!!

Miracles every day.....

Leaving Montbonnet on Day 2, with snow lying all around.

"There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as if everything is."

~Albert Einstein

It would be true to say I was 'afraid' when I stepped out alone into the snowy landscape
on just my second morning of walking.
But along with the anxiety, I knew such excitement, such gladness.
How could it be that I was so lucky to be here,
in the morning silence,
immersed in the secrets of the outdoors,
with just a slither of morning sun creeping out across the snowy fields.
It was an Hallelujah moment!

Glowing...

En route between Astorga and Rabanal del Camino

"Glowing...
this is the thing about pictures of people on the Camino.
This light within...
As if the Camino washed the soul and cleared the eyes."

~Claire Bangasser
in a comment on Johnnie Walker's blog

When I was traveling in France in 2006 I stayed in a hostel in Cahors.
There I met a Frenchwoman who had been walking three weeks
along the Le Puy route.
Her face glowed with a radiant joy.
Speaking to her was what first gave me the idea
of walking the Chemin myself....

Sing to the Mountains

"Sing to the mountains, sing to the sea.

Raise your voices, lift your hearts.

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let all the earth rejoice."

~Bob Dufford SJ

It was such a special day crossing the pass over the Pyrenees
from France into Spain.
We had looked at the steepness of the altitude charts for weeks beforehand
with trepidation in our hearts (!)
but in the event found we were well prepared after weeks of walking.

I took it slowly, and reveled in the views.
How fortunate to get such perfect walking weather
-not too hot, and mostly clear views- no rain in sight!
There was joy in my heart as I climbed.....

That small voice....

First morning- on the plateau above Le-Puy-en-Velay

"Trust that still, small voice that says
'This might work and I'll try it."

~Diane Mariechild

That first morning when I left Le Puy, I was so tentative.
It seemed almost an impossibility that I should walk all the way to Santiago.
But after I had reached the top of the old crater basin that held the town,
and walked out into the calm of the countryside
I had an incredible feeling of calm and joy.
I knew I was doing 'the right thing'.
I wasn't sure whether I would make it 'all the way'
but I already knew a deep peace.

Mary Oliver quote

Daisy in my back garden

"And did you feel it, in your heart,
how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out
what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?"

~Mary Oliver from ‘the swan’
Quote found on The Alchemy of Pilgrimage blog

walking

Leaving Livinhac-en-haut, 29 April 2008

"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love

or the joy of breathing

or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air,

is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies."

~Erich Fromm