Melide to Pedrouzo
Mojón
The picture on the left is of a mojón we passed the day before yesterday, it is fully intact, which is rare the closer you get to Santiago. Most of them look like the one on the right. We walked by it early on today.
The bronze distance marker and the Camino shell tile were stolen from this marker…someone thought they must have value, sentimental or commercial. Maybe they will show up on eBay or maybe they’re hanging on a pilgrim’s wall in some faraway place. But the value of the bronze marker and ceramic tile are unpredictable and fleeting.
The most valuable thing was left on the mojón – the true phrase handwritten in permanent marker. “You are loved.”
This was/is true of every pilgrim that passed/passes. True of everyone that reads this blog. True of human beings. We have an inherent dignity, a value that is unearned and comes from a source far greater than humanity itself. Grace. You are loved.
Even when we screw up or when we ignore it or even when we don’t believe it.
Last Day
It occurred to me early in the walk that today would be my final long hike through the Spanish countryside. Tomorrow’s stroll into Santiago is only 20km (I remember when 20km seemed like a long way) and mostly through the suburbs. As excited as I was to reach the ultimate destination, I was a little melancholy about the journey coming to an end. Thank you, Hemingway, for these words on the Wall of Wisdom, passed by this morning:
The journey today was a mixed bag – the trail in the morning wound its way through beautiful, shaded woods and in the hot afternoon, a toil mostly on asphalt.
We dragged into Pedrouzo around 5 pm. After a nap and a shower, it was into town for some more grilled octopus…
Pilgrims and Prophets 