All of us were full of emotion as we awoke for our 13 mile walk to Santiago de Compostela. Donna, Roddy and Eladio were anxious to get there, so they woke up early, like kids on Christmas morning. They were ready so early they skipped breakfast and started to walk. Jeff and I slept in as long as we could, took our time to have a great breakfast and decided to hit the trail a little later to keep a calm, peaceful feeling to the day, knowing most pilgrims would depart early. I wanted a slow day to reflect on the Camino and to revisit a lot of the thoughts I’d had over the past month about my beliefs.
While faith and belief are personal with every individual, I share some of my thoughts over the past month. Mostly as a way to put into words what I’ve discovered about my own beliefs and those I’ve reaffirmed. As a Unitarian Universalist, I try to be open to new experiences and to learn from those I meet and encounter.
1) I believe we are at our best, as humans, when we aquire the ability to see and respect the world through the eyes of others. When we are so sure about our own ideas, our own religions, our own opinions, we close the door to learning and possibilities.
2) I believe in the teachings and mission of Jesus. Love, acceptance, reaching out to those different than us and and caring for those in need are the way to peace and strong communities.
3) I believe Jesus was an enlightened soul and man who brought the world a message of love, peace and hope, in contrast with the old testament and the fire and brimstone teachings of the time. I believe his teachings of love and peace have largely been lost, that people have reverted back to the fire and brimstone ways he worked so hard to change.
4) I believe world peace can only occur when ideologies are set aside, when people have the ability to live in true liberty. To live without judgment, fear, or repercussion of being the honest, trustworthy and worthwhile people they were born to be, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
Those are the themes that I pondered and thought about often on my Camino. Travel and immersion into cultures different than my own, meeting new people, listening to their stories helps me to accept and love better, to understand better my own shortcomings and realize just how little I really do know.
The hardship of walking multiple miles is now coming to and end. With Jeff by my side the full day, we walked past and with many pilgrim friends we’d met along the Camino. It seemed so peaceful and beautiful this day. As we walked our first steps into Camino de Santiago, we both smiled at each other, not a word needing to be said. We continued through the historic city, marveling at how magnificent it was. Old churches, homes and plazas bustling with residents. As we got closer, Structures hundred years old over cobblestone streets led the way, until we were walking down the final steps. There were bagpipes being played on the steps leading trough a narrow, medieval stairway corridor and finally onto the plaza of the Cathedral of Camino de Santiago.
As we walked into the plaza, we could see other pilgrims relishing in the completion of their journeys. Jeff and I walked to the center of the plaza, looked up at the stunning Cathedral and raised our arms like we’d just won an Olympic marathon. We then collapsed onto the stone Plaza, where we sat for a good 30 minutes, trying to grasp the fact we were really there.
Rick's Camino de Santiago 