San Juan Bautista albergue in Granon (the second story windows were our room)

(Azofra to Granon: 21.9 km, 6 hours; about 30,050 steps plus 3,200 later)

Micah 6:6-8
v. 8 He shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

I am walking more humbly than I used to. Pain will do that to you. At home, getting things done, I don’t suffer fools gladly who dither along the walkway impeding my progress. Here, with my slower pace and occasional limp, I am in the way of the young hard-chargers. “Buen Camino!” they call out cheerily as they pass. They’re not irritated. They share the road willingly. They walk humbly with me. I too need to show mercy and walk humbly with those who are slower than me. Lord, may more patient walking with others help me to walk more humbly with you.

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Maurice said we had another long day ahead and filled out the slips for both packs to be sent again. Keep reading

(Navarrete to Azofra: 23.1 km in 5 hours 50 minutes; 30,456 steps, plus 2200 walking in the evening)

Jeremiah 17:5-9, 13-14
v 7-8a, 14 But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. She will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream….Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

I still hurt but I am refreshed today. The kilometers went by quickly. The greetings of other pilgrims lifted me up. The prayers of friends at home have reached the Lord on my behalf. I will trust in God for my healing. I will trust in the Lord, the one who has saved me. He is the one I praise!

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Maurice said enough with rearranging the heavy things–we had a long way to go today and he was sending his pack too! Keep reading

(Viana to Navarrete: 22.1 km in 7 1/2 hours; about 33,178 steps, plus another 2437 walking in the evening)

Jeremiah 7:1-11
v. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”

We can look so good on the outside and back it up with things we say. “I go to church on Sunday.” “We just volunteered for a great cause.” “I’m walking to Santiago.” “Oh really?” says the Lord. “And what do you do with the rest of your time? Do you truly love your neighbor? Do you care for the poor? How do you spend the minutes when no one but me is watching? Do you worship me from your heart?” Carefully cultivated outward appearances and clever words don’t impress God, especially not when we pay him lip service then do as we please, flirting with the world’s polished plastic toys. Lord, help me to remember that you see everything I do. Help me to live with integrity.

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Breakfast at the hostel was to be available from 6 am. We were ready at 6:20 then spent ten minutes knocking, ringing and shivering at the hostel door across the street before the French gentleman, whose party we seem to be trailing, let us in. Keep reading

Leaving Casa de la Abuela in Los Arcos

(Los Arcos to Viana: 18.4 km; about 26,300 steps)

Ecclesiastes 4:1-12
v. 9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help him up.

We got up even earlier because we were supposed to be out of our room by 7:30. Keep reading

Santiago is always beckoning us onward

Villamayor de Monjardin to Los Arcos: 12.2 km; about 21,000 steps

Last night one of the Iranian Brits was snoring away before anyone else was in bed; his snickering mates kept walking by to give him a poke. One of the French ladies has blisters all over her foot. The French gentleman crawled behind his bed to retrieve my dropped locker key from where it had bounced. The Danish special forces guy, who had walked 32 km in five hours (the same distance the British soccer blokes had taken all day to do, as they told us when they got in at six) and who had spent all afternoon lying in his bed playing with his phone, was gone before most of us got out of bed. The breakfast table surprisingly featured a bowl of oranges; we ate Maurice’s and took mine for the road. When we walked out the door at 8:45 the British lads were just having breakfast. “We thought we were always the last ones out,” we told them. They laughed and said no, it was always them. Keep reading

Lorca to Villamayor de Monjardin: 18 km; 27,800 steps

Psalm 121
v. 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Coming and going. Just as I was dragging myself out of bed at 7 am little Calvin was born! He is just coming into the world and I seem heading ever more quickly down the hill and out the door–and our Lord is with us both. God is always watching, guiding, protecting. Calvin arrived in our Lord’s perfect timing, and God will bring both of us, and all of us who believe, through our lives in his perfect will to his heavenly kingdom.

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Eunate

(Muruzabal to Lorca: 21 km)

Psalm 119:33-40, The Message
v. 33: God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.

Right now I don’t know for sure that I can stay the Camino. I am so tired. I am tired when I start in the morning and wish I could stop by ten. Maybe you shouldn’t walk the Camino without a thyroid. Worst of all I have a horrendous blister on my left heel that seems to be several layers deep. I’m guessing it’s from those comfy new shoes–for the right shoe to be big enough to cradle my bunion and give my toes room to expand, the left shoe, I suppose, is a bit loose. It felt like I was walking on knives all afternoon, and the last few kilometers I had to limp, which meant I’ve done something to my leg muscles too. I don’t know how I will walk like this tomorrow. Maurice compassionately says that I have to anyway. The German girl in our six-bed dorm room has kindly given me an oval of Compeed. Her young man has offered a tape he said is like a second skin. I emailed Laurie for advice. I just want to sleep for a week and get up better. Dear Lord, please show me what to do. Please invigorate me on the pilgrim way (v. 37).

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Pamplona to Muruzabal:  17.4 km

Psalm 84
v. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

That’s us; our hearts are set on walking to Santiago with our Lord. That’s all of us, too, whose hearts are set on a faithful walk in this world until we get to our heavenly home. We are blessed as God refreshes us in dry places (v. 6). We are blessed with strength for the journey (v. 7). We pilgrims know that even just one day in the courts of the Lord, walking with him, serving with him, is better than days without number in the world’s joyless pastimes (v. 10). Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you (v.12). May I trust in you, now and forever.

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Graves are set under wood panels covering the entire floor surface of St. Nicolas Church

(Pamplona, Spain)

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need,” says another translation. We do. Keep reading