Day of Departure

This morning, my 13-year-old daughter and I did a Starbucks run and swung by our local bakery for breakfast. On the drive, I must have said something about being a pilgrim because her middle-school-aged humor immediately veered to jokes of me starting a new fashion trend of stylish hats on the Camino and her giggling about me carrying a cornucopia of flowers with me throughout Spain.

It got us talking about what it meant to be a pilgrim, which is something I haven’t really thought about until recently, and ironically not really understood it in the context of the American holiday of Thanksgiving. As I skim through definitions of what it means to be a pilgrim or to take a pilgrimage, this one resonates most deeply:

“An individual’s journey through life, sometimes as personal growth and exploration, sometimes outlining a pathway which it is believed will lead to an encounter with God.” -Merriam-Webster

A Heart of Gratitude

The last several days I have been overcome with feelings of Thanksgiving for the incredible people and circumstances that God has placed in my life across each chapter. As I set my Out of Office message in Outlook, I oddly almost teared up – grateful for not only the flexibility to take a week off of work with little to no obligation to be checking email or driving work forward (unusual at this stage in my career) – but also for the incredible people I’ve met and fulfilling work I’ve found these last two months consulting at Mount Sinai in New York City.

I am grateful for my husband who without hesitation is manning the household this week, repeatedly told me how much the family would miss me, and sent me forth with a kiss and his cross necklace. I am grateful for my 10-year-old son, Zachary, who focused the last two days on making me two batches of fruit leather (grape and apple) for the journey and educated me on its energy-rich nutritional value, portability, long-lasting shelf-life and weight efficiency that it provided on the trail. My husband was sternly warned that “he could not snitch,” with a declaration of “I know you, Dad!” For those who haven’t met my son, picture “Young Sheldon.”

My daughter Natalie, the artist, showed her love in symbolic ways that she could adorn me on the trail. She spent the morning painting a sea shell to attach to my backpack (which is a sign of a pilgrim on the Camino) and crafting a gold necklace with the charms of an angel’s wing and a bumble bee. She explained that the angel’s wing was for protection on my journey. The bumble bee represented how Natalie “sees me in the world” and hinted that it might be a way that she remembers me when I pass from this world. We took a moment to list valuable qualities of bumble bees, hard working, life-giving pollinators, and how women are the matriarchs of the hive as the “Queen Bee.” I raised that I wasn’t sure if that’s how I wanted to be immortalized. Not everyone is comfortable with bees around and fear them. She quickly retorted “Same with powerful women.” Oh, my sweet girl!

Being Sent Forth

At mass on Friday, my home parish of St. Augustine in Larchmont, NY sent me off with a powerful message and pilgrim’s blessing. Our wonderful pastoral associate, Lu Doyle, arranged the whole thing. What a friend and gift she’s been these last several years! Father Dennis hinted during the homily at there being a pilgrim in the congregation and spoke a bit about the spiritual journey of the Camino, particularly in the context of Lent.

One message that has been imprinted on my heart from that mass is the reminder that Jesus knew that he would be killed and he went to Jerusalem anyway. The tensions were at an all-time high with religious leaders calling for his death and demanding that he stop….well, to stop being him; To stop spreading the gospel, to stop performing miracles, to stop healing the sick, to stop spending time with sinners and showing compassion to the outcasts, to stop living His mission and being the way God created him to be. Christ not only went to Jerusalem, but he did not stop and remained authentically himself to the end.

We too are called to not be afraid. We are called to fully embrace who God created us to be as His child. We are called be different, even when it would be easier to hide, to stay small, to not have our voice be heard. We are called to do what the Lord asks of us in each chapter of our lives and to do it with joy and strength.

Next Sunday I will be arriving in Santiago de Compostela on Palm Sunday. Who knows what this Camino journey will bring. Going back to the definition of what it means to be a pilgrim, personal growth and exploration is what I’m seeking. I pray that it may be an encounter with God that brings greater joy, strength, wisdom, and healing – not only for myself, but for all those walking with me in spirit. If you haven’t already, please let me know how I can pray for you!

I better wrap up and put my seatbelt back on, we’re about to land in Spain!!!!

A Pilgrim’s Lenten Prayer

“Lord, as we walk this Lenten path, be our guide, our strength, and our compassion. Open our hearts to your grace and help us to see your presence in all things.”