A Turning Point - Day 23

I woke up to the sound of a hard rain... I wanted to pull the covers back over my head and sleep just a little longer. Looking at the weather, I realized that the rain was with us for most of the day, so I might as well put on my rain suit and face the day (after all I purchased it for just these days).

This was the day, to drop my stone that I had been carrying since the start of my journey. Way back, sometimes seeming like an eternity and other times seeming like only yesterday, a very nice lady in St. Jean asked if I had a stone to take on my pilgrimage. She presented me with a box of stones and asked if I would like to take one of these. I picked out a stone and have been carrying it for 23 days. As I walked up the hill at Cruz de Ferro, the weight of the stone grew heavy, and as I held it in my hand a sense of calm and peace came over me... it is hard to explain. I can't say what happened as I dropped that stone to the ground, but my heart felt good.

Later the day cleared, and although the path was still wet, the air was clean and fresh.

An experience to remember...