Watts Out There

Camino de Ronda

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Tue, 07 May 2019 19:01:00 +0000

After a week of camping in my Poustinia/Retreat House by the lake in the company of a rotating group of family and friends (who visited, texted, phoned, Facebook messaged, listened, objected, advised, supported, and ultimately helped me to change my plans); I have sorted out my weighty dilemma at last:

To walk the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James, Apostle of Christ) again next week or not, that WAS the BIG QUESTION.

And today the answer is immanently clear: it is my part to walk my own way toward God in the very circumstances of my life, all the days of my life, even right here, right now, and MOST ESPECIALLY with each one of you ❤️

Yes, I’ll be walking the Camino de Ronda, and neither God nor I would have it any other way.

Note to a dear friend

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Wed, 01 May 2019 13:28:00 +0000

Tom King Wavering is good and smart you did it once that's enough

Ronda Troy Watts Mr. King (Tom!), you have reached into my heart and indeed found the crux of the matter. When I decided in Feb. that I COULD try again, I felt that my Camino last year was incomplete. But after attending the national conference and hearing so many stories of other Americans on the Camino, I came to accept and embrace the experience I had last year. Indeed I DID accomplish my goal which was to say "Yes!" to my dream of walking the Camino, to leave the comforts of home to walk along the ancient pilgrimage trail to become closer to Jesus and to bring all of my loved ones and friends with me to the tomb of St. James. The conditions on the trail were just so impossible that our marching cry actually became, "to infinity, no, to INSANITY and beyond!" Danger of bodily harm was lurking everywhere and I became disengage because I didn't feel we had a sporting chance. So when we reached the Church of the Crucifix (no less!!!!!) I left my intentions at the statue of St. James and told my friend Laura that I felt my pilgrimage was complete and that if anything should happen to me in the next few days to not feel bad for me. And the very next day was my last on the trail. Truly I do not feel that I left my Camino undone. And so I no longer think that I "have" to go back and finish. <3

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http://www.arquivoltas.com/6-Navarra/Puentelareina02-Crucifijo.htm

To Go or Not to Go, THAT is the question!

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 20:44:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

In just two weeks, I have a plane ticket to return to the Camino de Santiago de Compostella (on the French Way) to begin where I left off last time: about two days' walk past Pamplona in a little town called Maneru, Navarra.

I became full of enthusiasm for this idea back in February when I attended a small Camino Cafe and talked to some folks about my trip last summer and the viability of continuing on.

Next there was a national American Pilgrims on the Camino gathering right here in North Carolina which I attended with 300 other Americans who were interested in taking their first or their second, third, fourth, etc. Camino! Several members from our Raleigh chapter came along and we had the most amazing weekend. We heard presentations from people who studied various parts of the pilgrimage trail, those who walked a thousand or more miles through France to reach Santiago, and some who had injuries and had to stop their Camino fairly soon like I did.

There were also presentations on First Aid and blister care, strategies for packing, the joy of bringing college students along, and many books, crafts, travel services, and stories from fellow pilgrims sharing their interests and experiences too.

By the end of the weekend, I had come to feel like a true, card-carrying Pilgrim, and that the tale of my particular trek was just as valid as that of others who had walked much farther along The Way. In fact the minimum mileage required to receive a Certificate of Completion is 100 k/62 miles (but it must be the LAST miles, ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.) In short, real passion for the Camino and the people who have walked it took ahold of me and I thought that I should return to the trail and walk a little more before diving in to start helping others.

Not even a week later, a priest friend who had also walked the Camino and given retreats about it came to town. When I told him that I went last summer (and found myself lying on a dirt road somewhere out there and thinking, "This is pretty comfortable!"), and wanted to return again, he nodded knowingly at my experience and then prayed, "Father, IF IT IS YOUR WILL, then OPEN THE DOORS!!!"

Now I guess it is up to me to prepare for my trip and also try to determine whether GOD's WILL is in it too.

Hoo boy.

:)

Camino Reflections: God Speaks into My Camino Experience Today

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 17:23:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

God spoke into my weariness this morning, as I opened up this His book today to join with the Church in Morning Prayer. It has been many many months since I have done this, and yet His Word spoke so eloquently to me in my particular situation today.

The Opening Hymn, the Old Testament Reading from Isaiah 4:6 Scripture, Psalm 5, the Old Testament Reading from Sirach 34:16, Psalm 18:3, Isaiah 25:4, the Intercessory Prayers, and the Closing Prayer all SHOUT OUT to me this day that it is the Lord who sees our stumbling and it is the Lord who shelters us and when we fall, picks us up again.

Praise God! He is alive and active in our lives!

Then in the Mass of today, we hear in the Old Testament Reading that God says, "I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart."

And in the Psalm my words of response in concert with the whole, world wide Church are:

Then in the Gospel Reading, which is always about the life of Christ, I see the words, "My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her and she will live." This is the same imagery I used yesterday when I told my friend, "I died early!"

Yes, I did die on the Camino Road that day, but it was Jesus who lifted me up and brought me home the next day, through the loving actions of my traveling companions, the albergue owner, the taxi driver, the woman seated beside me on the train to Madrid who dropped her plans to help me navigate the train station, exchanged my used train ticket for a free pass to the airport subway , then saw me onto the subway and told me where to get off....and then to the airport hotel shuttles, then to an airport hotel, then to a comfy bed and to a wonderful regional breakfast, then to an airline reservation agent, then onto a shuttle and plane for home, then into the arms of my husband, and finally back home, where so many have greeting me and welcomed me with understanding hearts.

May the news of His love spread throughout the land!

And in the Evening Prayer, God will speak to us again. If you haven't really started your own pilgrimage to God, it's time to begin!

In Loving Amazement and Joyful Praise,

Ronda

Camino Reflections: Since I've Been Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 18:40:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I've been back home for as long as I was in France & Spain: ten days. And in that time I have basically been flattened by the trip and a new problem: a troublesome cough and cold. So I have only spoken to my family and seen a few friends when I have gone out (to Mass twice and to the veterinarian) and I have still to unpack my backpack/suitcase, though our puppy Perceval has been climbing into it and dragging out various items each day.

The first time I went out was to Mass at St. Mary Magdalene on the Friday morning after my Thursday night return from Spain. I dressed in my washed set of walking clothes, my pilgrim's shell necklace still around my neck, and went to offer my weary thanksgiving to God.

When I entered our chapel, I kneeled down and closed my eyes to pray. Suddenly I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, then a hug, and then I raised my head to see the sparkling eyes of a dear friend who silently welcoming me home.

After Mass that day, we stayed for our Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. As the hour was coming to a close, I told the few others who were praying that I had just come home from my trip and was weary and wanted to leave a few minutes early.

They looked at me with inquisitive eyes, and so I decided to tell them about my fresh distress, when one of them asked, "In three words, what would you say your Camino was?" and my spontaneous reply was, "It was hell."

It felt a bit like what "boots on the ground" might mean and a bit like the confusion and strife of hell.

Writing these words now, ten days after being back home, it is hard to understand why I said them. I think it was partly because there was such suffering and disunity among us at the end. As I parted from my traveling companions, I remember crying out, "We needed a coach! We needed someone looking out for us to tell us to rise earlier, to let us rest in the heat of the day, to remind us to keep the fluids coming in, to tend to our injuries, to encourage us, to map out a plan of how to spend our hours and days to help us reach our goal." Instead our community of three was being run democratically with more sideways movement than directed and sustained effort ahead.

When I was asked why I was home so soon by a long-time family friend at Church today, I said, "To put it succinctly, I DIED EARLY." And she immediately shot back, "Only the Good Die Young!" with a joyous smile.

Love You All for your care and concern, your compassionate and understanding hearts, your proclamations of praise and being proud of me for (1) Going (2) Giving it my all (3) Listening to myself and/or to God and (4) Getting home safely.

You know, you're right! I DID go and do what I deeply wanted to do. I DID go with gusto and give it my all. And I did feel myself failing over a number of long, hard, slanted, river-rock, hot, dusty, waterless-trail days. "To Insanity and Beyond!" became our battle cry after several days, and my dreams of walking 500 miles, the "whole way" to Santiago and the Tomb of St. James, became quickly diverted and satisfied with one very special St. James Statue I saw along the way.

The three of us had agreed to "just show up and walk" without much planning, to see what each day contained, to walk with open hearts and a submission to the will of God.

For the record, the day I was lovingly extracted from the Camino was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And for those who have asked, my friends and I calculated how far we had walked on the day that I was leaving, and it was just short of 100k or 60 miles, which is the requirement to earn a certificate of completion (provided you end up in Santiago.)

Yet oddly enough and as God would have it, two days before I had layed down my burden at the statue of St. James (pictured above), and turned to Laura and said, "I feel such a sense of completion today. If something should happen to me in the coming days, know that I feel that I have done what I came to do."

I had offered all of my Camino Intentions, all of the people I was carrying to the tomb of St. James, all of their intentions and loved ones and friends, the teens from our church who were on a mission trip that same time, all of the Jameses in my family, my husband, our marriage, our children, and their friends, our parents (both deceased and living) and grandparents, our ancestors, the friends and future spouses and offspring of our kids (although my son has just informed that we probably have no grandchildren in our future), my broken heart, and most of all my gratitude in getting the answer to my Camino Question that as I walked I asked of God:

"Who am I before you, Lord?" and He answered me, "You are Mine."

Thank You All for your love and support. My heart is full and I love you more than I can say. And my prayer is this: that we will be gathered together in heaven with God one day, to rejoice forever in the wonder of it all.

Ronda

Camino Reflections: Why I Came Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 21:31:00 +0000

Of the first things I did

When I came home

Two weeks early

From my Camino

Was greet my husband

Who was surprised as I

And rub the tummy

Of little Bambino

I was hurting from days

Of hiking in Spain

And suffering from

Dehydration

I had sweated so much

And drunk so little

That I was

Feeling Faint

By the End of it all

I laid down in the road

Not really able

to continue

I gathered my strength

And conquered the hill

On a slow upward climb

Toward salvation.

With the help of my friends

To the closest albergue,

And a meal and a bed from a wonderful soul,

I rose with a pounding headache, a disengaged will, and the urge to throw up all of the water I had Tried for a remedy.

Once I determined that I would leave Spain, I consulted with the wonderful woman who owned the albergue. (Her own father had walked the Camino, see photo above, and her general thought was that he was CRAZY!)

She suggested a bus (and my friends: a taxi) to return two day's walk to Pamplona. I wanted to pay her for all of her time and kindly advice in getting me home, but she refused with waving hands. And so I leaned over my pack and gave her the Tiny Saint James that had accompanied me thus far. She was truly moved and really understood what her hospitality and generous love had meant to me.

With hugs and well wishes all around, I said goodbye to her and my companions, stepped into the wrong car ("That's my neighbor!" she laughed) Two more pilgrims arrived as I was working out the details, one was seriously dazed and not speaking and the next sweating profusely as he hyperventilated, slammed back a cold ice tea, and dropped into a nearby chair. He was a 20 something man with an Atlanta T-shirt on, so I sat down next to him and asked, "Did you run???!) When he told me no, I told him I had laid down on that road the night before and was now heading home. He smiled and told me he had laid down on the road up to Orrison. After refusing my offer to take him too, I sloshed what water + electrolyte solution I had left in my bottle into his empty glass, got into the taxi that had just arrived, and began my two day journey home.

The Alburgue owner had researched the train times and when I arrived at the station, I was four hours early. This gave me time to shuffle with my pack in the scorching heat toward a hospital-like sign. When I stepped inside, I mimed my symptoms to the attentive pharmacist. She gave me a medicinal powder to sip slowly from a 1 liter bottle of water. I thanked her and crossed to a cafe where through gestures I asked for the 1.5 liter bottle and sat outside to mix it and slowly, so slowly sip it all in and get myself feeling better.

Then I boarded the train for a four hour ride to Madrid.

And then my narrow focus on my pain and surviving began to recede...

And suddenly I could lift up my head, look all around, and feel

SO GRATEFUL to be making it home

under my own steam while it was still possible.

With Love, Ronda

Camino Reflections: Pamplona, San Fermin, and Bulls

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 20:38:00 +0000

Hello, Dear Friends!

Today is Saturday, July 7...the anniversary of my Baptism into the Catholic Church at the age of 8 weeks, and (now known to me) the Feast of San Fermin of Pamplona, Spain!

I am trying to find "Pamplona's Running of the Bulls" on my DirectTV today (under Sports Coverage?) because having "trod" those same streets just two weeks ago I am interested to see what it is all about.

(Do you see what I saw on these posts?!)

Some Camino Reflections: Arriving in Roncesvalles

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 06:21:00 +0000

And so down, down, down we went...from 4,757 feet to 950 ft below, in two very long and rocky and

dangerous hours, until we reached our goal.

After storing our boots and paying for our board and beds, we were shown to our bunks in a tiny cubicle in a great big room full of other pilgrims like us.

Our "drying the laundry" window ledge and misty view!

After dinner and conversations we crossed the yard to the church...

Went up yet more stairs....

Through passages until...

We reached our destination...Holy Mass in Spanish...

And a Pilgrim's Blessing with our fellow travelers from all over the world..

Before exploring the ancient crypt below!

(The text of a medieval rite dated 1078 preserved in the Missal of Vich Cathedral, Barcelona, Spain. At the Abbey of Roncesvalles the blessing is used at the end of the Mass for the blessing of pilgrims passing through.)

Blessing the Pilgrims

Lord Jesus Christ, you taught us through the Apostle St Paul that here below we have no lasting city and must always seek the heavenly city. Hear our prayers for these pilgrims we commission. May the Holy Spirit breathe his grace into their hearts; may he enliven their faith, strengthen their hope and feed the flame of their love. May they thus make their pilgrimage in the true spirit of penance, sacrifice and expiation. May the same spirit purify their minds from every evil thought. May he defend their hearts and give them the constant help of his protection so that they can reach the objective of their journey safely and by means of this pilgrimage they are now starting merit to come one day to the heavenly Jerusalem. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

R: Amen

May the Lord always guide your steps and be your inseparable companion throughout your journey.

R: Amen

May our Lady of Roncesvalles grant you her motherly protection, defend you against all dangers of soul and body. Through her intercession may you arrive safely at the end of your pilgrimage.

R: Amen

May St Raphael the Archangel accompany you throughout your journey as he accompanied Tobias and ward off every contrary or troublesome incident.

R: Amen

And may almighty God bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

R: Amen

Go in the peace of Christ

(Translated from a French version of the Latin original by Brother David Leo fsc)

Some Camino Reflections: And reaching the tippy top, we finally started down to Roncevalles...

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 04:47:00 +0000

It was only our second day of walking, and we were enjoying the views...

...the grazing mares and their colts,

...the flocks of long-haired sheep and those recently shorn.

Still we pressed onward, through this crevasse at the top of the hill...

As I looked over I noticed Laura walking on top of the clouds.

Then finally we came to the top of it all...

...turned the bend and found mud, deep and sticky mud

...then round another bend we saw it again: life giving water ! We filled up and went on.

Before long we heard tin bells clanking noisily as a herd of horses crossed our trail. (Press the arrow below to hear for yourself!)

Rounding yet another sharp turn, I paused to rest and rewrap my foot...

Laura's backpack looked so nice with her shell and tiny saints hanging on for a ride.

We walked over yet more rocks on our quest to reach our goal: 15.6 miles to Roncesvalles in two days... or bust!

At last we arrived at the steep descent to the monastery....from 4,757 feet to 950 feet down this warned-about narrow and very rocky trail.

Some Camino Reflections: And then we went on...

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 21:43:00 +0000

Coming down from my "mountain top" experience of seeing the iconic statue of the Virgin of Orrison looking over the clouded lands of Basque France down below,

I tended to my left foot which had an open sore at the lace line of my boot,

....thanked Laura for being our "medic" and offering me her supplies

...then stepped off on the road and to wherever it would take us...

...passing fields of sheep and cloud-filled valleys...

...until we arrived at our "oasis", a food truck on the way and after our water was gone.

Thank Heaven for shade from automobiles and spectacular scenery to picnic beside..

...and Water! Glorious water! Without which we could not survive.

Ah, yes, and the teeny, tiny flowers too!

Love, Ronda

Some Camino Reflections: In the Clouds for a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 21:29:00 +0000

While we were still "up there" and continuing on our way...

...the scenery was absolutely breathtaking...

...the Virgin Mary there to greet us...

...and a self-proclaimed photographer there to mark our stay!

(Perhaps I should try to write the rest of the blog in verse....like Dr. Seuss :))

Some Camino Reflections: Nearing the Top at 4,000 Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 21:08:00 +0000

In the morning we were rested, and departed in the early morning clouds to climb to the peak of our journey and then descend quickly down...to the monastery in Roncevalles, Spain for our recharging and Camino blessing before continuing on.

Cows on our journey...

Another sign pointing the way...

Here we are pausing to photograph what is at the very top of the hill....can you see them?? It is a flock of black headed sheep....

All of it simply a wonder to behold!

Some Camino Reflections: Heading out...and up!

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 20:57:00 +0000

...and so out we went, and across town, and up into the hills....

... searching for tiny signs to indicate "the way"...

We saw sheep grazing on steep inclines as we slowly climbed...

Though it was in the low 70 degrees F, I (for one) began to "glow"...

And so we searched out roadside water fonts...

...and rested a while at this mid-climb mountain cafe...

Before setting off and up once again....searching like animals for a bit of roadside shade...

Under the tree pictured above, my focus sharpened until I detected this tiny Marian Shrine...

...what a grace! It reminded me of "Our Lady of Lourdes"...the other Marian Shrine I had considered visiting before this day's walk....and here, once again, the shrine and she had come to me.

...and then once again we were on our way...

Before finding our Albergue and our refuge behind yet another bend!

Good Night!

Love,

Ronda

Some Camino Reflections: Leaving SJPP

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 20:25:00 +0000

Having explored our little hamlet in southern France called St. Jean Pied de Port....

...we said "good bye" to our beloved Beilari guest house...

...lightened our loads one last little bit... (Laura's abandoned half bar of soap and plastic spork looked like wonderful Camino art to me!)

Filled our water bottles and strapped on our packs... (Laura carried her full pack while Paula and I shipped ours ahead on the first two mountainous days...)

And then set off, jubilant to go on our way!

Some Camino Reflections: Arriving in St. Jean Pied de Port, France

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 19:32:00 +0000

After a half year and more of support from the American Pilgrims on the Camino group which meets monthly at the Cary REI store to offer training hikes, reports from their experiences on the Camino, advice on equipment and hiking shoes, answers to questions, and warm encouragement for those wanting to hike the Camino too...

...we attended Masses at St. Mary Magdalene in Apex, NC in thanksgiving for our upcoming trip...

... and accepted gracious prayers and advice offered by our many friends...

My Camino companions and I had met just nine months ago as we gathered around the teachings of a wonderful priest who had led retreats for us in previous years, indeed one of which centered on his own time on the Camino Frances several years ago.

Bolstered by all of the good wishes and support of my family and friends, I handed them Tiny St. James medals and offered to carry their intentions and prayers to the feet of St. James, Apostle of Jesus and brother of John when I had come to the completion of my Camino.

Sharing this pilgrimage with others was a great joy for me, and after deciding to walk to get closer to God and find out who I am in His eyes, and also "walking for all of the James' in my life", walking for them was my highest priority.

Pictured are my Uncle Jimmy Troy wearing his new Tiny Saint James and his brother (my Dad) who was Ronald James Joseph Troy.

More James in our family: their father James E. Troy, their sister Sr. James Therese, my brother Barry James Joseph Troy, his son Brandon James, my husband James Joseph Watts and our son Connor James.

I teased some of them that "they should try be good" so that I would not suffer too much on my pilgrimage!

After traveling from noon Sunday from Apex, NC until 4:00 PM Monday in SJPP, France, Paula, Laura and I settled in to the cozy Beilari Pilgrim Hotel for two nights, meeting fellow pilgrims and getting rested until departing for the trail across the Pyrenees on Wednesday morning.

Bien Camino/Good Way!

With love and joy,

Ronda

Some Camino Reflections: Departing the USA

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:35:00 +0000

Paula, Laura, and I had so much fun imagining our trip to the start of the Camino Frances...

When the day finally came, we took off on Delta from RDU after rescheduling our cancelled AA flight (after weighing and purging our packs one more time... we were shooting for 10% of our body weights and all came in at "a little more!")

Thank you to my husband Jim for getting us there on Sunday, June 17 (Father's Day!) and seeing us off, with a big smile and a little "tough love" and good humor.

Post-Camino Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 16:12:00 +0000

Good Morning, Loved Ones and Friends,

There is no better feeling than returning to the embrace of family and friends after a difficult time away. As I have tried to come to grips with "what went wrong", I have been met with warm hugs, patient listening, caring expressions, and words of encouragement, sympathy, and even congrats!

Isn't it true that when we open up to others about our feelings of defeat, their love comes rushing in to meet us?!

Many thanks to my dear friends who prayed for me/us while I was away (with your help, I made it home safely, no doubt), to my supportive husband, who while picking me up at the Raleigh airport, suppressed his almost irrepressible urge to say, "I told you so!", to my son who (jokingly?) welcomed me home with, "It was sooooo hard waking up at 8:00 AM each day to take care of our pup!", to my mom, who came over at my invitation the next day to bring flowers, hear all about it, offer comfort, and tell me how happy she was to see me get back home safely and under my own steam, while it was still possible, to my sis, with her compassionate listening and sound medical advice, and to my loving daughter Courtney who Face-timed with us for a complete hearing, while going through her own challenges in "Latin Camp" this summer and for our "second daughter" Srishti who visited us with her smiles and cuddles for our new pup.

To all of my family and friends, those near and far, those coming in close and those giving me space, I love you all!!

As they say, The Real Camino begins when you return back home...in THIS GIRL'S case, with a grateful heart!!!

The Man by the Side of the Road

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 07:49:00 +0000

There lies a man beaten by the side of the road. Sometimes we don’t know him and sometimes he is us.

But in every case, that beaten man is Christ.

Let us hurry up to love one another!

Thank you to each and every one who is helping me to get back home.

❤️ Ronda

Location:Avenida de la Hispanidad,Madrid,Spain

Camino Job Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 09:16:00 +0000

In business they say to find the problem and fulfill the need. On the Camino I’ve learned that the true secret is to find the suffering and fulfill the need with allof your heart. Can I come home now???

Camino del Perdon

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 08:39:00 +0000

Renewed Once Again

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 06:29:00 +0000

On the Camino we are stripped of so much, and yesterday morning for me, of everything. But by evening we find a place to rest, and by morning are miraculously restored.

...At del Pardon Ana Calvo in the town of Uterga

Location:Calle de Frontón,Uterga,Spain

Leaving Pamplona

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 15:47:00 +0000

The streets were deserted as walked out of Pamplona at 5:30 this morning...

Passing by a shop selling toilet seats, I thought how nice it would be to strap one on my back and use it in the albergues that seem to deem them unnecessary.

Walking through a park on the outskirts of town, I admired the organization of the hikers in front of us as well as the surfaces below our feet.

As we quickened our pace on an up hill section further along, I hit the wall and crashed. Asking the first man we saw where we could find breakfast, he pointed and we followed his direction as fast as we could.

When we entered inside, my language was reduced to taking my four fingers and shoving them into my mouth..

And the proprietor graciously complied by quickly bringing a grande cafe con leche and tortilla omelet to my side.

It was yet another tremendous blessing along the way...

❤️ Ronda

Location:Calle Mayor,Uterga,Spain

Resting at Last

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 15:54:00 +0000

Six days after boarding our replacement flight to France 🇫🇷 (our first one was cancelled as we were enroute to the airport to catch it,) Laura, Paula, and I are sitting in the shady, breezy, sun dappled grassy yard of a thirteenth century monastery populated by a few nuns and volunteers who have offered us something to eat, a place to wash our clothes, a midday snack, a home cooked meal later this evening, Mass in the ancient Church, a Pilgrim’s blessing, and a bed for the night—all for a goodwill donation.

Laura said she is going to mail them $4,000 when she gets home to the USA. Paula and I wearily smile and nod our heads.

Walking in the Clouds

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 21:11:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Laura, Paula, and I climbed 4000 feet in two days of walking to cross the Pyrenees mountains and make our way into Spain. The last hour was trecherous as we approached the monastery in Roncevalles, however we recovered a bit after getting our bed assignments, a warm shower, some dinner, and a Pilgrim’s Blessing from the resident monks.

Now, it is time to turn in for the night. We hope to wake up refreshed!

Bien Camino!

Arriving in SJPP and stepping off on the Camino

noreply@blogger.com (Ronda Troy Watts) — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 06:10:00 +0000

Music fills the Beilari guest house this morning as we wake to a monastic song consisting of one word “Alleluia”. Paula crept downstairs as reported that candles were illuminating our already set breakfast table and our housemates began to rise.

We have been in the tiny Basque town called St. Jean Pied de Port for two days and nights, and on this the third day we are preparing to take our first steps on the Camino de Santiago.

We have been met with an embrace of friendship, support, and love. Paula, Laura, and I are refreshed and eager to begin.

May the Peace of Christ accompany us all along The Way.

❤️ Ronda

Location:Rue de la Citadelle,St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port,France