Takeaways

And I'm not talking about turnovers in football (Go Bears!). I'm resisting the temptation to write some lengthy and flowery post about the grand things I learned on my walk. I think it's easier to bring together a few random points I think I learned along the way. Some may tie together, others may not. So in no particular order, here are some lessons I hope stay with me from my camino.

1) If the camino is an allegory of life's journey, one thing I learned was that sometimes the most important thing is to keep on going in the face of difficulty and adversity, even when you feel like giving up. (as a side-note, I also learned that sometimes it's good to put your plans aside and rest for a bit before moving ahead with a difficult task).

2) I felt the Lord affirming to me that everything and everyone on Earth is his. That this camino, this spot on earth, these pilgrims, and the local inhabitants all belong to Him. He knows every person and every detail. It is his world and we are passing through it. It's a beautiful place, full of valuable things and people.

3) I finish my short camino with a renewed encouragement that the vision we have for a hostel/albergue in Santiago is both good and unique. I sense that there is a service we can provide these pilgrims that is not currently being provided in Santiago (that we are yet aware of). So much of the camino experience is about this special community, and I believe now more than ever that many pilgrims would really appreciate an albergue that creates a community space and environment that most hostels and albergues do not have.

4) My confidence in my fledgling Spanish skills grew over the week. Even thought feeling out of my depth at times, I definitely walk away knowing I can communate in Spanish better than ever before : - ) I really think one of God's gifts to me over my week of travel was continued community with Spaniards.

5) It's about the people and the relationships. Even though the setting is different, in the end, it's not that much different than real life. The walk is interesting, the landscape is beautiful, and the destination is cool. But all of that is secondary to the relationships and community you build along the way. The people are the real treasure of this journey.