Spirituality

Traveling Prayer

Posted on June 27, 2013 by bethlindfoote

Nancie commented that I’m still on the Camino, but on a different road. I think she’s right.

One of the reasons I wanted to go on the Camino had to do with my commute on 880. It was a beast. An hour each way, most of the time in slow traffic. Towards the end, I surrendered and only drove before or after rush hour. But even then it was a long haul, and a lot of sitting. It took its toll on my body.

So walking the Camino seemed like the perfect antidote to my commuter’s funk—30 days of hiking and reconnecting with my physical self, and the rich cultural context.

It worked. I felt so fit and happy those two weeks I was trekking. It showed me a way out of the numbness and stress of the commute, and its consequences, which I always underplayed. But they were there.

As I spend this 24 period traveling home, I’m grateful for the Camino experience in so many ways, but today I give thanks for the way it reconnected me with my healthy body.

The spirituality of the Camino was a celebration of the way the physical and the spiritual are intertwined in our daily lives. Walking 5 hours from one town to another, and crossing mountains, and hiking in the rain reconnected me with that reality. We are made to move.

I reached Roncevalles, Zubiri, and all those other towns on my own, at a human pace: about 4 kilometers an hour. When I took the train to Madrid on Tuesday, it went 248 kilometers an hour! What a different reality! And today the plane home will go much faster.

I’m thankful for the technology that makes it possible to travel to Europe and for high speed trains. And I’m newly aware of how we need to give thanks for our physical bodies, and enjoy the way they transport us from place to place.

So I see the Camino opening up ahead of me in new ways. It will change the way I live my daily life. I’ll forever be more appreciative of my body and the spirituality that lives within my physical self.

Today at the Madrid airport I saw two Muslim men praying towards Mecca. I admire how they embody their faith, bowing down at regular intervals wherever they are. And I admire their faithfulness.

The routine of the Camino made me aware of God’s presence in much the same way. The walking and connection with other pilgrims healed my soul and my body, and made me keenly aware that the body and spirit are created together, and that we are essentially good.

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Categories: Camino, Spirituality | 3 Comments

A time to walk and a time to heal

Posted on June 25, 2013 by bethlindfoote

Yesterday I took a taxi to the Universidad de Leon Hospital and limped into the ER to have a medical professional look at my foot. It was a fascinating window into the Spanish medical system. They don’t take your blood pressure or weigh you or make you fill out any forms. They have a “concierge” guy at the door of the ER who directs you where to go, and a very no nonsense triage guy. It’s so much quieter than an American ER, no TV or paging, and the lighting was subdued, not hospital bright.

I can’t believe I did it all in Spanish! Because no one at the hospital spoke English. The female doctor spoke a little. Had an X-ray done, and also tried to pay. I’m supposed to give the documentation to Kaiser.

Her diagnosis was Plantar Fasciatis. She said I should not try to continue the Camino.

The treatment is RICE: rest, ice, elevation, compression and anti-inflammatory drugs.

My Camino friends from Chicago arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, and we sat in their room and I heard about their days of walking and how tired they were. As we talked, I realized that, for me, walking the Camino was over. I could follow along by bus, but that wasn’t really a pilgrimage. I found so much joy in the walking, and talking on the path, and watching for the yellow arrows, and coming into tiny villages—the whole experience.

It made me sad to come to grips with my situation, even though I knew I wasn’t alone. Many people in our “class of Orisson” were going home with injuries.

So I went upstairs and prayed about what to do, and cried. I had to have a destination for the morning. Astorga or Santiago by bus? Madrid and then SFO? Hang out somewhere for 3 weeks? I talked to Hale on Skype. Coming home seemed like the right decision. I called Delta on Skype and was able to change my ticket.

I met Gina and Caroline in the bar and we talked like Camino friends talk, honestly and with love. They are gifts of the Camino; I’ve learned so much from both of them.

We met in the morning for the awesome Parador hotel breakfast buffet. I decided to give Gina my Camelbak and my copy of the Brierley guidebook for the rest of the journey. The Camino has made me more generous. It feels good to know she has them as she moves into Galicia. We posed at the statue outside the Parador, and then it was time for my taxi to the train station.

I’m in Madrid now. I will keep posting my reflections on my experience of the Camino as I move forward, as well as more photos.

I know that it will continue to teach me and inform my ministry.

Today in Madrid I looked up at the cathedral and saw a statue on the roof of St. James with his staff and shell. Later, I had tapas at an outdoor cafe and noticed that we were on Calle Santiago. He is looking out for me, I think.

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Categories: Camino, June 2013, Leon, Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Pantheon at Basilica de San Isidore

Posted on June 23, 2013 by bethlindfoote

I toured the Museum of St. Isidore today after attending a packed Mass in the Basilica. I’m becoming a major fan of the Romanesque era. This is called the Pantheon, where Spanish royalty from the 12th and 13th siglo are buried. Love the disciple pouring vino tinto. Some things haven’t changed in 1,000 years.

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Categories: June 2013, Spirituality | Tags: , | 5 Comments

Music and Pilgrim Blessing

Posted on June 23, 2013 by bethlindfoote

You’re greeted in Carrion by a Peregrino Statue with a guitar slug around his neck. He also sports a sign advertising “Concert 7:00!”

I was fortunate enough to stay at the Alburgue run by a small community of young Augustinian nuns, that adjoins the 13th century church.

At 6:00 they gathered everyone into the foyer of the Alburgue, about 50 people sitting on the floor and up the open stairs. One nun played guitar and sang, another had a drum, and they led us in two rousing songs. Everyone sang! Then they invited us to share a song or other talent. They had invited some local teenagers to go first (very smart!). Two girls sang “You’re going to miss me when I’m gone,” while each one moved and tapped a plastic cup…they were in sync with each other, and it was classic teenage girl stuff. Made me think of youth group at Trinity. Then young Korean guest sang a song, a Spanish guy sitting next to me read a poem, and then a Spanish guy stood up and asked one of the nuns to dance. She said yes, put up here hand and said, “no fotos, no video!” The guitarists played a Spanish folksong, and the nun and the Spanish man danced a classic folk dance with clapping and turning, a little like Flamenco. It was wonderful.

Each of us introduced ourselves and said why we were on the Camino. I was the only American and only English speaker there, but not the only one over 50. I said I was walking to say “thank you for my life,” and everyone nodded. I t was humbling to realize, yet again, that most people speak my language, but I don’t speak theirs.

From there we went next door to the classical guitar concert in the church. Gina met me there. Bach and Brahms on two guitars. It was the perfect pairing with the gold reredos and Romanesque arches.

After a breather in the square, Gina and went back in for Mass, and Pilgrim blessing. The Mass is so beautiful in Espanol. I can’t understand all the words, but I know what’s going on, and as a priest, it’s lovely to experience it in another language.

There were two priests that evening, and they called all the Pilgrims to the front. Our Flamenco dancing nun spoke with an English translation about how each of us is a unique star made by God. The sisters had made paper stars to give to each of us. The priests invited us to come forward for an individual laying on of hands while the nuns played guitar and sang. We were in tears. So beautiful. And they do that every night for the pilgrims passing through.

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Categories: June 2013, Spirituality | 2 Comments

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