Today I wake up at 5:30 again, tired, but ready for another great day. I doze for a few more minutes before starting to get my stuff together. This albergue was particularly nice, and instead of bunk beds we got what they call "cubes" where it's partially enclosed and there's a curtain you can pull to completely close yourself in. It adds a nice level of comfortability and privacy. The beds also have some cubbies, so I was able to put my change of clothes there.
After dressing and getting my bag packed, I head downstairs to find everyone else. Eva, Annemiek, Dan, Sam, and Margaret are all either packing their bags or eating breakfast. I have some yogurt and canned mackerel and soon I'm ready to go. Eva and Annemiek head out a few minutes before me, and I leave with Margaret and Sam at 6:30. Dan is a few minutes behind us.
The town is dark, lit only by street lamps. We walk through, talking a bit, and soon find the edge of town, which is surrounded by a forest. The path leads into the forest, and there's just enough light from the sky to see by, so I don't need my headlamp. We spread out naturally, and I walk in silence, admiring the beauty of the early morning.
I walk through forests, gently rolling hills surrounded by farmland, and small stone villages. The sky continues to brighten, and soon starts to change colors. I take a moment at the top of a hill to watch the sunrise until the sun peeks above the mountains on the horizon. It's a beautiful solitary morning walk.
I reflect on how this will all be over soon. It's interesting how used to walking I've become. I'm sure there will be days in the future where I wish I could be back, walking for a full day through Spain in beautiful nature, so I do my best to savor the day. I take in the ancient trees covered in vines, the forests full of morning birdsong, the picturesque towns and all their oddities. The towns in Galicia have many animals. Farms with cows, sheep, and horses, and some friendly cats and dogs wandering about.
One thing I reflect on this morning is God's will. In the beginning of my Camino, I thought a lot about opening my spiritual eyes. It was a goal of my Camino, yet I really didn't know what it truly meant or how to do it. Through the days upon days of prayer and reflection, along with the help of the book He Leadeth Me, I think I've figured it out. To open your spiritual eyes is to try to see the world and everything in it as God sees it. It is to see the spiritual meaning behind the physical; a misfortune, a disease, an accident, or all the blessings in life. It's easy to see why God may intend the good things, but it can be terribly difficult and confusing to find out why He intends the bad things. Of course disease, misfortune, and death were never intended for the world, but were the natural result of original sin. But despite our sin, God works in our lives, guiding us to Himself through all things. If God created man, and God is the source of all goodness and all love, and God loves man with His entire being, then the best thing for man is to participate in and seek for that love that is God. In order to be guided to this purpose, we need different things. Sometimes what we need is a stroke of fortune, a moment to be thankful for. On the other hand, we may need a nudge towards reliance on God in the form of a misfortune. For the Israelites of the Old Testament, this often meant times of persecution, capture, and exile. Because we know the entire history, though, we know that these were necessary to guide a rebellious nation back to God, and actually part of God's loving Providence.
2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23: In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy. Their enemies burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon, where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons until the kingdom of the Persians came to power. All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled.” In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!”
What is difficult is bringing this teaching into our own lives. It is all well and good for me to say that I trust God, but is trust not built through actions rather than words? How much can I actually trust God without having an opportunity to put that trust in action? I reflected on this for a long time, knowing that my life in the future will have its fair share of misfortunes and suffering. To be Christian is not to be spared from sin and death, but to be purified and become who God wills us to be through it. I only pray that I have the humility and abandonment of self to trust in God when He gives me the opportunities to do so.
I have plenty of time to reflect on this as I walk. Around 8:30, I find some horses hanging out by the road. I pet them, and Margaret walks by, joining me. They're friendly and enjoy the face rubs. I feed them some peanuts, and one nods his head vigorously as he chews. It's quite hilarious to watch, and I ask him questions as he nods to all of them.
Very soon after, we find the first cafe of the day. I get a cafe con leche and a pastry, and savor the moment. This may be one of my last ones! Eva, Annemiek, and Dan are already there, and Sam soon joins us. We enjoy a few minutes of talking about our morning so far, then continue on one by one. I see Sergio as I head out and we discover we're heading to the same town tonight.
I continue walking by myself as the sun rises higher and the day heats up. I change into shorts and take off all my jackets. It's that warm! I then pray a rosary while walking, and simply enjoy the scenery.
I soon come to the town of Melide, a decent sized town with not one but two open churches! Very impressive, just what I'd expect for a pilgrimage. I get some food for lunch and stop into one of the churches to pray for a few minutes, then continue on. I see a few cats, and split a can of fish with them. They eagerly eat it and I watch for a few moments as I eat mine.
I had intended on finding one of my friends to walk with, but I'm a few kilometers behind them by this point. I walk alone through a sizable forest with grassy hills, steep ascents, and a river. I make and eat a cheese and mackerel sandwich at the river before starting up a hill. Soon, a man I've passed multiple times today catches up to me and starts talking to me. He's Colombian and only speaks Spanish, so I do my best to converse with him. I miss much of what he says though. We walk together for a few minutes, and then he lets me on ahead.
I speed through the rest of the forest, pushing a bit faster while listening to another chapter of He Leadeth Me. It's very inspiring as always, and gives me a lot to think on. I exit the forest preserve and enter a large hilly farmland region. The hillsides are covered in grass, and each property has a nice little house on it, along with plenty of cattle or sheep or horses. There's plenty of sights to see and I spend my time simply watching.
At 2:00, I arrive to the small town of Ribadiso. A bridge over a river serves as the entrance to the town, and I'm greeted by an joyful shout of hello from all my friends sitting with their feet in the water! The albergue for the night is right next to the river, and is absolutely gorgeous. A mix of stone and wood, it gives a medieval feel, well accented by the rest of the quaint and simple town. I quickly check in and set my bag down, then grab a Pepsi (Pepsi Grant doesn't sound quite as good as Coca Cola Grant) and join my friends on the river. We sit and talk about our day, and tell stories of our favorite parts. Most of us walked alone today, so it's sort of like a mini catch-up. I stick my feet in the icy water and once they start to leave, I sit and write my blog, listening to the mesmerizing sound of the water flowing by.
At 4:30 I'm all caught up for the day on my blog. It's perfectly warm out and everyone is lounging in the grass or by the river. Luis has already taken a dip in the river, and I figure it'll be a fun memory so why not? I wade in and submerge myself, and it's definitely cold! The pilgrims on the bridge watch, and some laugh, some cheer, some call me loco. I spend a moment in the water, then get out and head straight to the showers.
After my shower, Dan, Sam, and I check out the rest of town. It turns out the town really is very tiny, and we've reached the end of it after a short walk up a large hillside. There's no restaurants up here, but it's a great view. That leaves us one restaurant for dinner then, and since there's no grocery store, we can't cook. We then head back and decide to have dinner now.
By 6:30, everyone is at the restaurant. We sit outside at a long table. It's Sergio, Luis, Olivia (the Italian woman from Sarria), Eva, Annemiek, Margaret, Yeondo, Dan, Sam, Woody, and I for dinner. We all order and have a nice time talking about our days, telling funny childhood stories, comparing cultures and slang, along with all the other classic pilgrim conversations. We all remark on how there's only two days left in our journey. Santiago is 42 kilometers away! I can't believe it. This pilgrimage really has flown by. I enjoy one of the final meals together with all of my friends, and we eat surprisingly decent spanish food. I get lentil soup and fish. There's also a cat that circles our table, waiting for food to drop. That's cat number 145!
It's dark by the time dinner ends, and everyone leaves one by one. I call Mikayla and walk around the town while talking with her. I tell her all about my day. I can't wait to see her in only 4 more days! After half an hour of walking up and down the streets and talking with Mikayla, I say goodbye and then get ready for bed. Finally, I finish up my blog in bed and get to sleep at 10:30.
It was yet another amazing day. The weather was beautiful, the reflection time great, the scenery gorgeous, and the friends as fun as ever. God is so good! Thank you, Lord, for all you have blessed me with!