Planning My Journey to the Camino

Sherry Hayes-Pierce shares a look at her preparations for a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago.

In just two months I will travel to Spain to walk the Camino from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela. Of course, many have shared their travel experiences with me as I prepare for this trip. A number of people have given me books to read to help me to make choices for the mindset, clothing, shoes, and physical training for this pilgrimage.   

God has given me many gifts. How do I best use them to glorify Him as I enter my life's fourth quarter or back nine? One of the elements of the journey is to carry rocks that symbolize what weighs you down, leaving them along the route as you travel. Making a list of my gifts and writing them on rocks is part of my plan for things to do as I prepare for the journey. My grandson and I enjoy rock hunting together, and I will definitely have him and his sister choose the rocks I will write my gifts on. These will be reminders to pray for them too.  

Every birthday is a gift

For me every birthday that ushers in a new decade of life is a gift. My father died at 56 (when I was in my early thirties), and this sparked a desire to plan celebrations to spend time in prayer or have an extraordinary experience to celebrate. When I was 40, I made a pilgrimage to the Vatican and went to Mass every single day of my week in Rome. I even visited Assisi. While there, I prayed for the Lord to send me a husband and decided that if Mr. Right wasn’t sent by the Lord in a year, it was a sign to join a religious order. One week before the year ended, my beloved Dude walked into my life. 

Then when my 50th rolled around, I wanted to visit Disney World to experience the sister park to Disneyland, a place that has brought me such joy since childhood. It was so fun and many of the attractions from California had moved to Florida and experiencing them again sparked so many happy memories from when I was a kid — such a gift! My Dude didn’t share my love for Disney, but loved to see me happy and agreed for us to go. After he went home to the Lord my best friend and sister took me to this happy place to heal.  

A birthday pilgrimage plan

As the last year of my fifties began, the planner in me thought that I should return to a pilgrimage experience that would be extraordinary. I decided that walking the Camino on my sixtieth birthday was the perfect way to celebrate the big “6-0.” I love to draw myself into quiet meditation and silence to be in communion with the Lord. Now that my grief journey has moved to a more manageable space, my thought is to spend some time on a spiritual journey that so many Catholics have described as transformative.  

One of the books I was given about pilgrimages shares a daily quote, and for day one the quote is: “Every step of the journey is the journey (Zen saying)". For me, this journey is not really about some sort of physical competition. Yes, I have heard so much about protecting my feet, getting poles to steady my stride on the terrain, but my focus has been on how to quiet my mind and hear God’s voice.  

First steps

My first step begins with finding the best shoes, starting to walk weekly to build my stamina for walking up to 18 miles a day, and preparing spiritually. The pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James should, of course, include learning about this Apostle of Christ. James was the apostle known for his zeal and enthusiasm in serving Jesus. Part of my reasoning for undertaking this pilgrimage is the desire of my heart to serve the Lord like James. So I will read The Life of St. James the Greater by Mary Marcus and begin praying for his intercession. 

St. James, Apostle,  
Chosen among the first  
you were the first to drink  
The Cup of the Master
And you are the greater protector of pilgrims; 
Make us strong in faith 
And happy in hope 
On our pilgrim journey 
Following the path of Chrisian life 
And sustain us so that 
We may finally reach the glory of God the Father. Amen. (Pilgrims' Prayer)

If you have walked the Camino I would love to hear about your experiences and suggestions for preparing for the trip. Share prayers you would like for me to take with me, and I will take them with me to pray for your intensions.   

Pray for me. 

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Copyright 2024 Sherry Hayes-Peirce
Images: Canva