Day 21 on the Camino Way

Milestones

For many women, Mary as one, that first pregnancy is a milestone. In fact there are many milestones along our life journey—first kiss, first job, first home, etc.

On this journey, Leon is a Camino milestone for us. When we planned this walk we flagged Leon as the beginning of the end. We still have 200 miles to go and it involves a lot of climbing, but Santiago and the great Cathedral are in sight. I don’t know how we will feel when we finish, but right now we are lacing up our boots to make the last push.

So Leon is representative of where Sally and I see ourselves in our lives. We are in our mid-70s, and without being morbid, we have 15 to 20 years of life left—that’s if we are fortunate. In the great Santiago cathedral, I’ll light candles for three friends who didn’t reach my age. I presided at the funerals for two of them and the third was my long time friend and dentist. I remember him telling me, after a Palestinian dentist did some unnecessary work on my teeth, ”If you have any problems again, you let me know, I’ll personally fly you home and do the work.”

I’ll also light a candle for my Uncle Marlo who passed in the last year. No, dear Auntie, I didn’t forget! In fact, lighting a candle in a Catholic Cathedral for a Lutheran pastor, seems somehow ironic. Uncle would approve.

Thinking Deep Thoughts in Leon

We started out this morning in the dark. There was a sliver of a moon. What you’re seeing in the photo above is as far ahead as we could see. And it was adequate. We could see enough to safely keep walking. Pretty soon the sun began to announce her arrival and we put the flashlight away.

This seems about right to Sally and me as we look ahead to the rest of our lives together. So many of you who have lost your partner have texted us or commented on posts and FaceBook encouraging us to enjoy this adventure. But even more so, you have entreated us to enjoy each other. Please know, dear friends, we are doing that.

Sally and I don’t know how far we will go together. As is true of anyone at any age we can only see so far ahead. The rest is at best a shadow. But we are still together and still healthy enough to do this and to think about other things we might do. That’s a gift and we do not take it for granted.

To the Finish line

Tomorrow—today as you read this—we walk on. And we do this together, side by side or one leading the other. We share carrying the pack now. Will we finish? However far we get will be the finish line. What we aim to do is make the most of every mile, even, no, especially, the hard ones.

Buen Camino!