Day 3 - St Jean

Before we go on any further, can we just make a pact?

As hard as it will be for me, and for many of my literate and verbally proficient friends, can we just agree that we'll put our red editors pens down while reading this journal - and accept the misspelled words, the missplaced commas and the run on sentences!  I trust you all know I'm smart enough to know how to spell 'understood' and 'directed'... and that, while its almost painful to read them in the finalized version that gets posted, I have neither the time nor inclination to fiddle around with the format of Blogsy to figure out how to edit them after publication until they're word perfect!

I trust you'll also excuse all the errors that will inevitably follow as my fingers type on a small keyboard when exhausted, under the influence of pain pills or in a rush to get thoughts down before they leave my head completely! Are we agreed? Now that I have THAT off my chest, here goes ...

St Jean - 

how many words are there for gorgeous?!

So many people and new faces and names to remember - 

Jenny from CA, Franz from Germany, Katarina from Finland, Mary from WA - 

all eager to share life histories and previous Camino experiences or current Camino fears. 

Will be traveling tomorrow to Orission with Jenny and Mary - so nice to have their company!

Jenny and I were laughing at lunch when someone asked how long we'd been traveling together - 

and we realized we just met this morning! 

How much has been shared in a few hours!

If one of my motivations for walking the Camino was to remind myself there are good people in this world, God has certainly put me in the right place!

We're staying in a wonderful alberque, with great spirit and energy - 

all my Creation Spirituality friends would LOVE it here! 

A bed, dinner, breakfast and packed lunch for the hike tomorrow - all for 22E.

A GREAT deal

The alberque is complete with a chapel (Spirit House), 

Zen flags, 

a wonderful garden 

and a place outside to sit for reflection!

SO glad to have 'lucked' into finding this refuge - 

especially since Jenny and I were originally booked into a different Gite - 

at 3 times the price!

Along the Camino, apparently, 

there's no problem with looking at a room - 

and turning it down!

A communal meal and sharing tonight as we all prepare to start our Caminos in earnest tomorrow...

The weather has lifted and the Napolean route is now open.

Forecast for the next three days is sunny and in the 60's. 

So it's on to cross over the Pyrenees after all!

It's a temptation to stay where it's beautiful isn't it? 

where it's easy and people cater to you and cook you wonderful meals - 

but, that's rarely where 'real life' and growth happens.

All of that happens where its messier, 

where its hard and when you rely on God 

to provide what you need!

Can't begin to describe the feeling of this place - 

and the people I've met so far... 

except to say, it's been a wonderful gift - and I'm only 3 days in...

I know it gets harder, 

I know it gets more painful,

 but I also know, like the rest of life - it's all a gift!

I want to stay grateful for all that has come my way!

Crossing THIS tomorrow!

Ultreya!

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