Why walk?

Greetings to my fellow pilgrims-- all of whom I will meet very soon-- and also to those supporting us in Internetland with thoughts and prayers!

All of us undertaking this trek through northern Spain have been fortunate enough to receive a booklet of daily prayers and meditations (I believe from our illustrious tour guide) as spiritual "food" for each day of this upcoming journey.

I had better confess from the get-go that I have "cheated"-- that is, I have gone ahead and read the first meditation, which is for tomorrow (May 31), the first day of the journey, when we will be embarking across the Atlantic. Yet, I am glad that I have read this first chapter, for it includes a question I am still turning over in my mind. It asks, "Why did I say 'Yes' to this pilgrimage?"

I don't know fully why. It's a mystery. What I can recall is the point I was in my own journey when I first received the invitation to join this very special trip. At that time, back in the early months of 2009, I had just returned from a 4-month tour overseas in a rural Ugandan village with the Peace Corps. I had been "called back" to the United States from that tour much sooner than I had expected-- needless to say, I had been determined to finish all 27 months of the "normal" span of a Volunteer-- but God had something else to say.

Back in those early months, I found my self face-to-face with the not so pleasant range of human emotions: disappointment, fear, grief, and even bitterness. Feeling adrift and often alone, terrified of what the next steps would be or wouldn't be, and wondering if God would abandon me to a fate of a life of isolation and purposelessness, the invitation to join on a pilgrimage to a shrine almost a thousand years old (The Shrine of St. James at Compostela-- which I had written a paper on my senior year at Furman but can't recall very much of now) stood like an exclamation point amidst question marks. This exclamation point was a call to faith, and a summons of courage and level-headedness to move out of darkness and into light, on the path that God would reveal.

So, at that very point when I first heard of the pilgrimage to Spain, I had actually begun a pilgrimage to the selfhood God has held for me since the beginning. Though, at the time, it did not feel like a pilgrimage at all-- more like stumbling, faltering steps to the person I had always been but had forgotten.

This pilgrimage did not occur in a vacuum. Parker Palmer writes, "There is no selfhood outside of relationship". The relationships I have experienced in those early months and beyond helped lead me outside of the doubts I constructed for myself and to a life lived with "power, love and a sound mind"as the Apostle Paul describes.

Now, outside of those early months, in a very different place in life, I am undertaking this pilgrimage to Spain out of gratitude for where I have already been lead. When I agreed to go to Spain, simply saying "Yes" was extremely difficult because I was afraid. I had to admit I could not anticipate the future and yet believe that the goodness of God would transcend what appeared impossible.

In my case, saying "Yes" was born out of a desire and a call from God to community, wherein our gifts are shared. Saying "Yes" was to affirm that God has acted and would continue to act with power. We are not called to be alone, and our tasks can transcend what is seen if we simply allow God into these very sensitive areas in our lives.

I want to close with a meditation from the Taize tradition:

"Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est"

Where there is love and charity, there God is.

On the threshold. . .

Saludos!

I'm Michael Vagnini, a 2007 Furman graduate and an eager member of this pilgrimage group. The reality of beginning this journey of reflection and growth is just setting in.

This will be my second adventure in faith with the Lilly Center: back in 2005, I had the privilege to travel through Cuba with several of my peers and professors. On that journey, I found that the bonds of brotherhood extend far beyond our families and our friends, and that we each have a responsibility to work for peace and justice in our communities and beyond. My mind turned toward this mission, and for the last two years I have been working in a chemistry lab, studying fundamental elements of using and storing solar energy. My time in Cuba helped me become outward-focused. How could I use my own talents and enthusiasm to serve a greater cause?

In many ways, this pilgrimage may complement my trip to Cuba. I imagine that this journey will be a journey inward. From where do I derive the strength to sustain my enthusiasm, to fuel the use of my talents? This trek is a timely one: I have spent the last several months preparing for my candidacy exam, walking among skyscrapers, and facing the complexity of new relationships. It's a good time to simplify the road and remember who I am and what I'm all about.

I can't wait to meet my fellow pilgrims and to hear their stories. And I'm sure that the next two weeks contain a wonderful story, waiting to unfold.

Paz y amor,
Michael

Joining the group!

Like Emma, I'm feeling 'flutters.' I'm not a Furman alumna and most of the pilgrims are cyber friends at the moment. That will change soon!

I'm very honored to have been asked to be a guide and companion on this great Camino walk for Furman. It really started for me in deepest winter when people said "Yes" with their check books and sent in the deposit. Then I knew I had to get ready and begin the walk to Santiago in my heart and with my body. So, I started off in the snow and ice of Minnesota (when the weather was really ugly, I went to the gym). Now it's early summer, full of the promise and light. Already I've come a long way.  I'm trying to let go of apprehensions, expectations and assumptions and just be present for the group, but every so often, I remember the hills and think, can I really climb them again?

Yes!  Ultreya!

Buon Camino! This is the traditional greeting between pilgrims on the Santiago de Compostela path. (loosely translated: happy trails to you!) I am very excited to be able to share our experiences of the pilgrimage with Furman students, alumni and friends. I hope that this journal allows you to understand a bit more about the motivations and benefits that a pilgrimage can provide- I'll be learning those right along with you!

This is a pre-trip post. Our group will be leaving from airports across the country on May 31 to meet in Madrid on the first of June. However, the pilgrimage has already started. I think the journey started when last November, Ann Quattlebaum turned in her office chair, looked at me and said, "What do you think about the possibility of...?" It got a bit more real when I wrote that first deposit check, and finally became a blunt reality when I took that first physical step of our training schedule. Now I am feeling the flutters of nervousness- what if I can't fit everything I need into a backpack? What if I can't walk 10 miles each day? Will I open enough to the experience that I can be changed? We shall see...