Post Card to myself

Although i may have travelled all the roads,
crossed mountains and valleys from East to West,
if i haved not discovered the freedom to be my self,
i have arrived nowhere.

Although i may have shared all of my possessions
with people of other languages and cultures;
made friends with pilgrims of thousand paths,
or shared alberque with saints and princes,
if i am not capable of forgiving my neighbor tomorrow,
i have arrived nowhere.

Although i may have carried my pack from beginning to end
and waited for every pilgrim in need of encouragement,
or given my bed to one who arrived later than i,
given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing;
if upon returning to my home and work,
i am not able to create brotherhood
or to make happiness, peace and unity,
i have arrived nowhere.

Although i may have had food and water each day,
and enjoyed a roof and shower every night;
or may have had my injuries well attented,
if i have not discovered all that the love of God,
i have arrived nowhere.

Although i may have seen all the monuments
and contemplated the best sunsets;
although i may have learned a greeting in every lanaguage
or tasted the clean water from every fountain;
if i have discovered who is the author
of so much free beauty and so much peace,
i have arrived nowhere.

If from today i do not continue walking on your path,
searching and living according to what i have learned;
in from today i do not see in every person, friend or foe
a companion on the Camino;
if from today i cannot recognize God,
the God of Jesus of Nazareth
as one God of my life,
i have arrived at nowhere.

This is a postcard titled “Pilgrim’s Prayer” written by Fraydino I bought not as a souvenir but a reminder that I am only a pilgrim on earth.

A Filtered Year

Photography is life through a filter. They say what you see is what you get. Is that true? The central exercise and experience of using photography are to capture the images more for my benefit, mental wealth, interest, an extension of … Continue reading →

Eight Day of Christmas – Just for today

  Just for today, before I speak I will ask myself, “Is it true? Is it kind?” And if the answer to either of those questions is negative, I won’t say it. A year in review of photos with Code … Continue reading →

Walking One Step at a Time

This gallery contains 2 photos.

I met a man on a plane on the way to Spain.  He was en route to walk the Camino de Santiago as well.  Me, I was joining a group.  Him, he was walking alone to turn off his mind. … Continue reading →

Glimpse of Santiago de Compostela

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Entering the narrow pathways considered as a street in Santiago de Compostela, we could see the steeple of the cathedral.  The pilgrims’ steps quickened as they are getting excited to reach their destination. In front of the towering old steeple, dating as … Continue reading →

Pilgrims not a Tourist

In our travel package, we all receive a booklet about our itinerary, brief history of places, travel info, prayers, hymns and most importantly a guide or commandments as pilgrim. 

This preamble is actually hilarious. 

The organizer knows when to invite us to read this list especially after a week of travelling.  That’s the time we are starting to feel heated due to lack of sleep, high expectations or just plain cranky. 

We all read this without laughing, as prayerfully as possible.  Are you kidding?  Have you ever tried to suppress your laugh and it comes out of your nose? 

So here are some clips on prayer guide: 

Response: Lord, May I Remember that I am a Pilgrim and not a Tourist. 

If any delays should occur or changes take place prior to any departures and I became anxious:  Response. 

If I do not get the seat of my choice on the plane and the bus:   Response. 

If some things do not happen on schedule as per itinerary:   Response. 

If my meals, bed and washroom in a foreign country are not to my liking:  Response. 

If a person in front of me buys the last item I really wanted:  Response. 

Travelers’ Commandments: 

Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home, for thou hast left thy home to find things differently. 

Thou shalt not let the other pilgrims get on thy nerves for thou art paying out good money to have a good time. 

Remember thy passport so that thou know where it is always, for a man without a passport is a man without a country. 

Thou shalt when in Rome do somewhat as the Romans do.  If in difficulty, thou shalt use thy Canadian sense and friendliness. 

Remember thou are a guest in every land and she that treats her host with respect shall be treated as an honoured guest. 

As pilgrim, I prefer to soak in everything with my mind’s eyes and soul in places we traversed.  Here are a  very few pictures I captured.  

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Related articles

• pilgrim vs tourist (neahbayadventures.wordpress.com)
• Pilgrim’s Progress (3psbyseeker.wordpress.com)

A Song, A Book, My Name

Funny (not funny ha-ha) asking me that question.  I just finished watching the DVD of Pilgrim’s Progress: Journey to Heaven.  It’s a modern adaptation of John Bunyan’s beloved classic tale. 

Pilgrim’s song is a song that is constantly humming in my head.  I grew up with this song and I love the lyrics.  Pilgrim Progress is a required reading at school, a literally tale written by John Bunyan when he was imprisoned.   Perpetua is my second name. 

I found the lyrics after coming from a pilgrimage at All Roads Lead Home.

 Pilgrim’s song

Man is lonely by birth.
Man is only a pilgrim on earth.
Born to be king, time is but a temporary thing,
only on loan while on earth.

Like the wind in the tree,
man has been rather reckless and free.
Thrown far and wide, we long to settle down beside
the stream flowing through eternity.

Like the grass on the lawn,
we will pass by the way and be gone.
A lesson to learn, we walk but once there’s no return.
Time is always moving on.

Man is longing for One,
for a song and a place in the sun,
a home up above where ev’ry day is lived in love, for
rest when the journey is done.

 

A reminder that I am pushing the Pause Button in Daily Prompt as mentioned in my post Forty Days and Forty Nights.  Until then, care take of your sweet self.

Thank you for asking Daily Prompt All About Me.

 

Pax Tecum.  Perpetua

Pilgrim’s Progress

It was too crowded in the church where St. Anthony of Padua was born, in Portugal.  I decided to come out for a breath of fresh air and leave the rest of the group inside the church.  I wandered a … Continue reading →