No more sleeps. - I wake and rather than feel a deep sense of readiness and calm , walking nearly  800 km in a foreign land is suddenly feeling like rather a stupid thing. The fears are gnawing and I wonder what on earth possessed me to leave my beautiful daughters and sons, my kind friends and family to head so far away. Despite it's quaked appearance, home is suddenly feeling like the most wonderful place on earth, the feijoas are just starting to fall, the leaves on the oak and fruit trees are at their colorful autumnal best, and there is food and warmth and cars to drive. As I write, the moon and stars are there in the clear night sky, the early birds are just beginning their predawn welcome to the day, all is well here................
And a small quiet voice,  with no manipulation but only invitation says, 'come'.
And there is a gesture which is more reassuring, an outstretched hand for me to hold.
I think of all the brave people I know facing much tougher journeys not just this day but for many days on end, and I strengthen my will to begin. I will bid all this farewell for a while and begin -what else is there to do the packs are packed ......and I think the girls are planning a party in their sorrow at their parents leaving.

How does one live well except for the company of dear friends who are there to share the journey, to farewell you as you leave and welcome you when you return - holding you in their hearts while absent and with encouraging words and blessings bid you well. Today I feel overwhelming gratitude for my friends.
My sister sent me this card today.  "A sister is a forever friend." There are many types of sisters, actual sisters, soul sisters, dream sisters, and all are precious and enlarge my understanding of love.

Came across this quote about the purpose of Pilgrimage. [dedicated to Peter who has begun the ancient and noble art of beekeeping and who shared some delicous silky nectar with us on Good Friday]

"The point of travelling is not to arrive, but to return home laden with pollen you shall work up into honey the minds feeds on." R.S.Thomas Welsh poet and priest

                                                      Stone stairwell at Punakaiki, Westcoast, 

In Christchurch we live in the liminal time of earthquake time. Since September 2010 we have found ourselves in an unusual place of  living with the reality that earthquakes big and small may assault our land, our homes and our psyches at any time and many many many have. It is from this context  that I find myself preparing to enter another liminal time -that of the traveller of more accurately- the pilgrim.
At the end of this month I leave with my husband to walk across the North of Spain, on an ancient pilgrmage route which was and is more recently highly poplular. The decision to become a pigrim was a call that started by listening to my gut warming as I read of others' pilgrimages and heard stories from a friend who had previously walked this camino. At the point of the call I considered myself to be totally unfit and so the major challenge has been to quietly build up my walking, climbing and pack carrying fitness. This blog is for all those who have been very interested in this strange call. I have never blogged before and have no idea if I will be able to sustain it as we will be low tech pilgrims.
To begin a pilgrimmage is to say yes to walking with God and to trust that God will walk with me /us-that God will look after us. I'm sure there will be many lessons to learn and I try to let go of too many expectations. Please feel free to follow along but remember to tend to your own journey too - we are all pilgrims and all invited to walk daily with our God.