Fromista

We left very early this morning at 6:30am for our 16 mile walk to the small village of Fromista.  About 1km outside Castrojeriz, we encountered a difficult ascent to the Alto de Mostelares, where we overlooked the valley and saw the sun rise.  Another 5 km and we crossed the Itero Bridge over the river Pisuerga.  This is a natural border, leaving the province of Burgos and entering the province of Palencia.  We stopped in the small village of Itero de las Vega for some cafe solo ( espresso).  After two  cups of coffee, I was ready to go.  We came to the village of Boadilla del Camino where we stopped for lunch and had a Spanish tortilla ( egg and potato - delicious).  We then started walking to Formista along the Canal de Castilla, arriving at our destination around 2pm.

Most the the Camino consists of trails that are made up of sand and rocks.  Sometimes the rocks are large and other times the they are small.  As I walk along the Camino, I try to avoid the larger rocks, since stepping on them creates an irritation that shoots through the heals of my boots.  So I move from one side of the Camino to the other side, trying to avoid the discomfort.  Yet when I move to what I think is smoother ground, the rocks seem to appear again.  There is no escaping !!  Sometimes a little pebble gets lodged in my boot and causes some discomfort in my walking.  This happened to me after crossing the Pyrenees the second day on the Camino.  At the end of the day, I took my boot off and, a small pebble fell out.  Today, as I was walking, I was thinking of how the Camino is a reflection of life.  Sometimes in life, we encounter rocks that make our journey more difficult.  The rocks cause us discomfort, they are painful and interrupt our daily activity.  We keep trying to avoid them, but they seem to always be there.  There is no escaping !!  How do we deal with the rocks and pebbles that come into our lives?  God always gives us the freedom to choose how to respond.  We can avoid them or deny their existence, or we can face their reality and call upon the power of God to give us the strength to face the struggle with courage and hope, transforming that struggle into a moment of growth and life.

I have kept the pebble that was in my boot to remind me that life is like the Camino, filled with rocks and pebbles.  But with God's help, we can face those realities and use them to transform our lives into something greater.  Buen Camino !!!