I first learned of the “Camino de Santiago” or The Way of St. James as it is also known by through the movie simply called, “The Way” which is the story of a grieving father who decides to complete the journey his son had started but passes away while on the Comino. I remember driving home and mom saying to me, “I am going to do that.” It’s the way she said it that told me she was serious.
In no time, my mother had joined a group all who were training in preparation for the Way. It was game on when my mother cut back her work hours and got a ticket for Portugal which by the way is one of many starting points for people. It was a bit odd knowing that my mom was leaving for a number of weeks to head to a place I had to look up on a map to find. Mom would drop us an e-mail when she could to say she is fine and enjoying the experience or maybe where she was. On my Birthday of all days, I would learn that my mom had completed the Way and was headed home to tell us all about it. I remember looking at all her pictures and hearing her talk about her experiences and feeling so proud of her for having done this amazing thing and realizing that it was an experience that had made a difference in her life.
Fast forward a little… My Mom and I hear of a movie called, “I’ll Push You.” It is the story of Justin and Patrick two lifelong friends who decide to travel the Camino together the difference being one of them has a disability and requires a wheelchair and care. I’ll Push You is the story of their journey down the Camino de Santiago all 500 miles of it. While I am not often surprised any more by what people with disabilities can do. I was impressed by Justin and Patrick’s trek. You’ll need to watch both movies to understand just how amazing their trek was.
Fast forward to this Mother’s Day. Two big things happened that day, my mother decided it was actually time to retire and my mother shared that she would love for us as a family to walk the Camino de Santiago. I had watched I’ll Push You so, I knew that it was possible for someone to do it who has a disability like mine. While we all have busy lives and little free time, I was all in to do a small part of the Camino and we started to talk about it happening in September 2022 (if we are not restricted by Covid-19 or some variant of it).
While I am unsure who will want to make this trip and walk or push our way to Santiago. I am in and up for the challenge. While we are not walking the whole distance we will be walking or rolling somewhere around 100 kilometers. We, my mother and I have made the purchase of a wheelchair that others have had good luck with on the Camino and when it arrives you will hear more about it and likely see it.
That leads me to a big point that I would like to share. I have decided that I will be writing and sharing about my experience in this blog. My hope is to encourage you and others to do something amazing. Our world is flooded with bad news and people struggling and I would love to do something outside the box that maybe will spark something in others to do something just as big. So, when there is something to share, I will share it with you so you can share in it with me and stay tune…
Peace,
Francis
Thoughts? E-mail: francisearly@francisearly.com
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