December 17. Reflection

 Word for the day:  reflection!  Week 2 of the spiritual exercises involves reflecting on Jesus works! I “lost a week in Spain due to illness!  I “lost” a week now due to the busyness of the advent season, and taking the time to reconnect with friends after the long Covid drought!  Last night we attended a Christmas 🎄 program with friends at the Coeur d’Alene resort.  

                    Always butterflies in my life!

                  And a Merry Christmas indeed!  

On this day, the pilgrims walked from Tudela to Zaragoza.   

Reflection: “Are we walking with Jesus or are we following other leaders?”…”I ask for the grace to feel personally called to journey alongside Jesus as his companion and co-laborer.”…..”The road to justice and the road to faith in our world are inseparable.”  I took the train from Barcelona to Zaragoza and joined the group at Hotel Sauce!  

       Nighttime view from our balcony

The pilgrims taking a well deserved lunch break!

And the walking stick too! A very well deserved break

Outside view of our hotel and room with a view!

It was great to reconnect with all the folks with whom I had walked for a week. The mood upon their arrival was rather somber.  On the 12th, my birthday, they slept on the floor of a gym.  This was by far the most difficult accommodation of the trip.  The mood I felt upon their arrival was dog tiredness! They didn’t arrive at the hotel until about 6pm.  For me, and perhaps for others, it was difficult to focus on introspection and meditation when my body and soul felt only weariness. I dodged a thunderstorm, and I guess the group did too on the walk.  But the city, and my soul felt cleansed!  And I finally broke the night sweats I had been experiencing for a week!  HEALING ❤️‍🩹 indeed!

                      Jeez Louise!