Day 30 Camino Celebration

Do you believe in signs?  I do today.  Actually, I believe in what the Author Squire Bushnell writes of.  He refers to them as Godwinks.  In his book, he suggests that God is winking at us all the time and letting us know we are on the right path, if we only care to look up.  I knew this would be a special hike as I drove out to Forest Lake to walk the Carlos Avery Trail and hike 8.7 miles for my finale.  It had been a short and unrestful night and my alarm went off at 4:45 a.m.  I’ve heard it said that home is where the heart is.  As I drove up to the entrance to the park, I began to shudder a bit.  Right before the entrance, I noticed a house.  It wasn’t an ordinary house.  It was my dream house.  About 15 years ago I saw a version of this house in a movie and I have been adding details to it for the last 15 years.  I have never mentioned it to a single person.  If I ever was to build a home on a lake or river or in the mountains, this was it and it was right before my eyes.  I found a parking spot and as I have come to expect, I never saw another person for 9 miles.  I began to notice the orange and black signs describing this reserve as a sanctuary.  It was forbidden to enter and you had to walk on the perimeter.  This sanctuary was for the birds, bees, other inhabitants and no outsiders.  Imagine keeping your home as a place of refuge for peace, passion, and protection.  You would forbid anyone who you did not honor, trust and respect from entering or who did not honor, trust, and respect you.  Edward Everett wrote, “There is no sanctuary of virtue like home.”  

 

One of my favorite songs of all time is the piece, Endless Night, performed by a London Theatre group.  I know the night must end, and that the sun will rise.  It is for all those who have lost their way at some point in life at least once.  I know that the clouds will clear and that the sun will rise.  Yes, I know…yes, I know that the sun will rise and I will hear your voice deep inside. I swear I have listened to this song 1,000 times.   I was walking and at about mile 6 I saw it and could not believe my eyes.  The river that wound its way through the Carlos Avery Trail was named, Sunrise River. 

 

My friend, Tony Ruesing sent me a book after I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.  It was written by a Jesuit priest, Narciso Irala in 1954 and the title is, Achieving Peace of Heart.  I found it interesting that he dedicated it to all who would direct their feet in the way of peace of heart.  For the last ten years or so, I have gone virtually every year to a silent retreat run by the Jesuit religious order near New Orleans.

 

What inspired me the most were two paragraphs seemingly buried in the book.  Happiness impelled St. Ignatius, when he saw a flower, to say with tears of consolation, “Be silent.  Be quiet for I understand you.”  And the following…”At first in prayer I used to look toward Heaven but ever since I realized that God was within me, I look toward myself and feel great joy.  The word enthusiasm means to be inspired by God and the Greek adjective, entheos, means, “having God within.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Nothing great happens without enthusiasm.”

 

On October 11, 2008, after walking over 500 miles I entered the City of Santiago and found myself in front of the Cathedral.  People or pilgrims as they have become known have been walking this path for over 1,000 years.  It was the first time in my life that I experienced true joy.  It was joy of the purest kind and my life has never been the same.  What is a Camino?  Camino is simply Spanish for the way or path.  I have come to know a Camino as a 30 day commitment to self.  A journey to yourself.  Finding something you can do for thirty days in a row will help you practice the gift of consistency and you will reap the rewards that come from being true to yourself first.

 

Today, I share two photos with you.  The first is of the sanctuary sign.  The second is of an orchid.  It is a beautiful, white orchid and it resides in my home.  Mark’s Wild@Heart Sanctuary.  Little did I know two weeks ago, how meaningful this flower would become.  Buen Camino!

 

 

This day in honor of Valerie Cade.