Day 16: Sergude to Santiago (11KM)

Excitement bubbled as I walked toward Santiago this morning. We got a bit of a later start than usual, yet this allowed us to walk entirety of the way in daylight. Part way along the route we crossed an overpass on which peregrinos had attached photos, prayers, shoes, gloves, and other items symbolizing their reasons for walking. I stayed there for a moment and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for my mom and for Courtney. As I rounded a corner and crested a tiny hill of a street I spotted the spires St. James’ Cathedral in the distance. I took a lot of photos, even though I knew we had a bit more to go. We lost sight of the markers and the spires walking in to the city, so it took some extra time for us finally to make it to the cathedral square. At the peregrino office and welcome center we waited in line for an agent to approve our credentials. The line stirred with an exhausted and excited hum as pilgrims from a myriad of routes recounted parts of their journeys with others. 381KM was the official number placed on my certificate. Wow. Once in the square again another surprise greeted me and Don - Davide had not yet departed for Rome. A big smile and big hug greeted each of us before we introduced him to Ted and Tom. Later in the evening we attended the Pilgrims’ Mass in the cathedral. We arrived early to take time to walk around and also to sit and pray. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw a big smile from Edith who had arrived early in the afternoon. We talked for a little bit before she left. The Mass, conducted in Spanish, had a hospitable feel to it. While I felt a bit too tired to try to keep up with the homily in Spanish, I did have a distant thought come to mind. In one of my preaching classes at Duke, Dr. Howell mentioned a story of St. Francis who preached a sermon with no words. Instead he gazed lovingly upon his congregation for the length of a homily. Dr. Howell challenged each of us to have our eyes shed love when preaching. The presiding priest had eyes that shed love - many pilgrims attending may not have understood the words, yet I pray they got the message. God loves us. All.Of.Us. Wow. Until next time, Buen Camino!