I have a big day today and maybe in the past I would be afraid but now somehow the day seems crawling with possibilities, alive with potential.  Then right on top of these two giant things that are happening a  good buddy reminds me of something that I have promised to do a while back along the trail.  Sure, no problemo!

This morning one of the editors and a photographer from Northwest Catholic Magazine are coming out to get some pics here at Phil’s Camino.  It looks like the rain may hold off.  The publication is doing a story about my recent conversion and the ancient pilgrimage and maybe a little about my cancer hobby thrown in.

Then this evening I am appearing on a local radio show panel talking about suicide.   Suicide is a big topic in our community as we have had a rash of it over the last few years.  I wore a braclet for a young man that took his own life and who I knew.  I wore it accross Spain.  Two other members of the panel are the local school superintendent and a local mental health professional.  I am supposed to be the  “gun guy”.  Everyone and their brother beats up on second amendment advocates and here I am volunteering for this.  Hmm.  I am definitely getting braver in my old age.

Then actually, there is one more big topic which is that today is a Holy Day of Obligation and I am supposed to be in church at some point today and guess what, the two services available on this island for me today are at the same times as my other engagements.  Yea, when it rains it pours.  Love you all, Felipe.

Mary Margaret has gotten back to me with a translation of Alvaro’s thought way back in August.  These sentiments are very complimentary toward our crew.  Thanks Alvaro, we liked you too.

MM wrote: Phil, Alvaro was a great fellow in every way, wasn’t he? Big guy with a big heart and a big laugh, too. He wrote: “Today was a very special day on the Camino . Meeting these people and sharing great moments with them shows you the authentic meaning of life.”

Spreading the positive energy, love, Felipe.

Right now at the moment I feel 180 degrees out from Spain, from Caminoing along in the heat.  Yesterday,  I worked on sending out Christmas cards to people that I touch with my business.   It’s a special time of year coming up.  But somehow at the moment I am caught half way between these two worlds, Spain and here.    Yea, linking them up would be the trick.  “Heat Wave”, the great oldie, just came on and is playing right now for me on a CD.  That sounds like my Spain experience to me!

In shortly over an hour I will be at my bible class studying the parable of the feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6.  This is where Jesus and his disciples fed the huge crowd with five loaves and two fish and had more in leftovers than when they started.  Yea.

And here we are in this time of year waiting for the yearly coming of Jesus who came two thousand years ago  to show us the Way.  We are waiting for the winter solstice to mark the beginning of the season of light and warmth.  The season, the Heat Wave is coming!  Hang on, love, Felipe.

I got to spend an hour with our Sister Joyce yesterday.  I don’t know how I get to hang out with such quality folks as SJ.  And, and, and she has a bobble head rendition of our beloved leader, Pope Francis,  on her desk.  A bobble head pope is a concept that could stop you in your tracks and there he is to greet you as you walk into SJ’s.

SJ bills herself as a spiritual advisor.  As a new Catholic I have questions.  And then I have other questions about this and that.  And then I have things that I bring to her that are truly knotty.  You know, those “who are you gonna call?” questions.  And I feel like there isn’t anything that I could say that would shake her.  She’s been around the block eight times before me.  Is that reassuring?

I’m back, was out walking the Camino.  The bird feeders needed attention, so I did that.  Everyone is hungry this time of year.  And it’s pretty out in a rainy sort of way.

So, the important thing to know about SJ is how truly joyful she is.  She will be talking heavy stuff and her brow takes a particular topography but always the sea clams afterward.  And my hour is up and I am on my way recharged.  I hope that is not to wearing on her.

Yup, so remember that at this moment somewhere there is a Pope Francis bobble head in action.   I think that Bobbling along must be similar to Caminoing along.   Pope Francis is saying yes continually with each bobble, yes?  That just occurred to me.

Yes love, Felipe.

Some great stuff comes out of our dilly dallys.   Right now the conversation usually centers around our kids and how they are doing.  And we talk to them and things come out of that.  And then there are the holidays looming on the horizon.  It all starts getting bigger in our minds and it can seem like a burden.  Is that what this time of year is supposed to be about?

Could we we all just take a collective deep breath right now.  This season  is Advent  where we are to prepare for the coming of Jesus.  I heard it expressed recently that we are on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem.  Can we relate to that?

Or my Rebecca who most times seems to have a different take on things than I do says that she is in a state of alert relaxation.  As in Jesus will come to her is what I see there. And why not?  Be open, be faithful and he knocks on your door.  I guess I am always doomed to do things the hard way.  God bless my Rebecca.

So, in a little while I am off to the big city to the hospital and to meet with Sister Joyce for an hour.  The snow and ice have mostly melted and the roads are clear.  I will say hello to Sister Joyce for you.  She loves you all.

A funny thing happened the other day.  I was emailing to Annie about the upcoming visit of her and the film crew to Seattle and Vashon Island.  And I had written something about getting into SJ’s office.  I was taking a short cut and meaning getting into Sister Joyce’s office.  I forgot that over the last year we were using those initials for Saint James who is the patron saint of not only Spain but Western Washington State.  Sister Joyce’s office is at the headquarters, the Archdiocese.  So Annie was impressed, to say the least, that I was checking in at the Big Guy’s office.  That was Big fun.

OK, enough of this, I have to get ready to go.  So remember about the pilgrimage or the alert relaxation, whichever suits your fancy.  Love you, Felipe.

When moving along the Camino it soon become obvious that you and your immediate party are surrounded by many many interesting people.  It becomes a traveling, “all the world’s a stage”  situation.  I don’t mean that people are playing anything other than their selves but as we all got ground down our inner selves began to show.  And these characters began to interact with each other.  This was after the beginning when we were settling into the rhythm of the daily routine and developing a passable pilgrim’s walk (limp).  And shedding makeup, deodorant, more than one kind of soap and other niceties which gave us that really cool pilgrim patina on our skinwind blown hair and that natural aroma.  Which didn’t seem to matter much with all that fresh air.

This is when we were really doing it, and when we greeted each other with the “Buen Camino”  it wasn’t a cliche but had a meaning that, “yes we have sunk our teeth into it and we are still here”.   “Still here” should probably be written with caps to express the idea that we understand and are committed.

So, I am trying to keep in touch with the various characters that impacted me on my walk and influenced you if you were closeby.  In the late afternoon after getting a bunk, showering, laundry we would be really for tapas and liquids at the daily dilly dally.  A chance to say to each other the same thing, that we understand and are committed.  All with a splash of fun and banter.  We rehashed the day’s journey and put it into context. So, during this process I would be blogging and encourage people to write along with me.  Great stuff came out of that and one thing that came out was in the following paragraph by Alvaro a man from Madrid who had studied and worked in the States and was currently was on his way to work for an event planner in Peru.  Kelly nick named him Big Al and I thought about him as the man with the smiling eyes.  Would someone translate this for us please.  And does anyone have contact info for him?

Maybe I can talk some of these characters into giving some of their comments on their day: Hoy ha sido um dia muy especial en el Camino. Conocer a esta gente y poder compartir grandes momentos con ellos te muestra el autentico significado de la vida.

Thank you all for your impact on me,  love, Felipe.

Just chatting with Mary Margaret and this new word popped up.  Yea, alperfect.  Spellcheck likes it with one “l”.  OK.  Man and machine work out compromise.

I need to catch up on all kinds of details today.  That will be fun.  I’m in the comfy chair at the hospital getting my chemo and this will be good.

So Amita, my friend on the Camino, just checked in yesterday to say that she has 125 km to go.  She is a brave soul as she reports that it is a lot of wind and rain there now.  I can picture it in my mind but totally different than the heat and crowds of August.  Love you Amita, keep going.

We we are still walking on Phil’s Camino here at the ranch.  Just want to put the schedule out here for new comers.

Monday 0900-1000

Friday 0900-1000

Sunday 100o-1100

It has been gorgeous lately but the rain will be back on Friday so wear some boots.

I am looking out the big windows here at the hospital and it is a beautiful day.  The view is to the west and and a quarter of the sky is covered by mare’s tail clouds that predict a change in the weather.  Yup.

Well, I think that Todd is going to write something up for TGIF.  It was great to see him recently.  It will be fun to see what he comes up with.

Alperfect loves, Felipe.

Early on somewhere around Viana, Emily was with us.  She was at the picnic there at the church ruins.   It was one of those things that we lost track of each other and I felt bad about that.  But I found an earlier post of mine from that era of the Camino where she had left an address for her blog and I looked her up that way.

I have yet to hear all her news but it appears that she is in school in France.  So glad that this is happening and when I find more news I will let you know.  Perhaps she will want to write some more here.  And her blog is: eogibbons.wordpress.com  .  Yea, check that out for pics of some other familiar Camino characters.

Character number two is Angela from Australia who was with us later with Mary Margaret, Sherif and company and up to somewhere short of Leon.  She was delightful to walk with.  She shared with me stories of her beloved Father.  Mostly I remember her beautiful smile amidst all the pain she was in.  It was her birthday somewhere along in there and we got separated before the party which was regretful.  But there are birthdays to come, right?

It is so great to be reunited with these two wonderful folks and I might get them to do some writing so we can hear their  thoughts.   There is no reason that we cannot share our journey with each other and offer prayers and encouragement when needed.  Right?  Why did we met in the first place, just for a few days together?  Remember God is a gathering force and when we gather we are in tune with him.  Gather on!

So, Monday, it is.  Time to get back to work after the big Thanksgiving weekend.  The best to you and yours, love, Felipe.