We made it! Yesterday we arrived in Santiago, finishing our Camino. As I have read the news each night on my tablet, this seems like a small, ineffectual accomplishment, even though it was very hard for me, due to being sick and very tired the whole time. Yesterday and today we completed the rite of  pilgrimage, going to mass (yes, they swung the botufumiero) visiting the crypt, seeing the many historic sites and chapels.  But after praying for personal concerns and being thankful, I found myself praying for our country and its current mess. I've been afraid of something like this ever since I was a child,  as my parents talked frequently of the Nazi holocaust.

 I have to say, though, that I'm very impressed with the magnitude of pilgrims who pour into Santiago daily after their long long walk. They get at least 1000 per day in the "compostela" office where the certificates are issued. I don't know what percentage of people do this for religious reasons, how many for spiritual reasons, and how many just for adventure or other personal reasons. I think its amazing that so many people do it at all.  I'm not foolish enough to think that just because people want to do this, that a spiritual or religious awakening will happen and the world will become one. Hopefully, people will realize that spirituality matters and that humans have been making pilgrimages in all ages and many religions. People have done it as a sacrifice, as penance, for personal holiness and other religious reasons. Now they also do it just for sport or to test themselves or to clear their heads. But having a personal triumph will not necessarily move a person to act and strive for the common good. That's what I would pray for.

 Nevertheless, I'm proud to have earned my "compostela" and I'm glad we did this. They say here that the real pilgrimage begins after you finish the walk. We'll see.  But I know I haven't been able to just relax and enjoy it, not just because I've been sick but because I was not able to stop  feeling the dark clouds of the world, especially our country, over my head. That might be a shame and a mess, but that's how it was.

On the plus side, I gained an even deeper appreciation for Joe and was so pleased with how much he enjoyed this pilgrimage, how good his energy level was (usually I'm the one with high energy but this time I lagged behind) and how much he could just relax and take it all in. Since this was his idea in the first place, I'll take this as a success. But they say here that sometimes the results of the pilgrimage take

a long time to develop. Talking with two very progressive Catholic sisters after we got the certificate was encouraging. They gave me hope that God is at work even if we can't see it. Their bright spirits were a helpful conclusion to our Camino walk.