With respect

 cross seen in countryside on first day's walk out from Le-Puy-en-Velay

"Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? 

Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief "

~William Blake

With sadness, thinking of those who died in the Christchurch earthquake

February 2011

Sacred Ground

nearing the Orisson gite on a flatter section of the climb over the Pyrenees

'Any place is sacred ground, 

for it can become a place of encounter with the Divine Presence.'

"These words from Br. David Steindl-Rast, appeared on the 'Word for the Day' on the gratefulness.org website on New Year's Day this year. Wonderful words for the beginning of the year, they reminded me that I can stand on sacred ground and meet God anywhere.
When I am aware of God's presence, I am not only filled with gratitude, but I learn to treat others with reverence and respect."

~John Dew         Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand

who walked the Camino Frances in 2010

"What about the God bit?"

Three Camino friends from Halifax, in the parish albergue at Granon

"Whilst the Camino to Santiago is essentially a Catholic pilgrimage
to the shrine said to contain the bones of one of the apostles
another thing I discovered is that there is no right or wrong way to travel the Camino to Santiago.
It isn’t just for holy people, or those who go to Church or people of faith.
It is for everyone.
But is it a spiritual experience? “What about the God bit?”

Over the last few days as I’ve thought about that question
and how to answer people who ask it,
I’ve been drawn to notes on my real experiences of pilgrimage.
They describe for me real encounters
with kindness, love, tolerance, respect, understanding.
Maybe they are the "God bit”?"

~From the blog: Camino to Santiago de Compostela
by Johnnie Walker