I have just made a commitment to do something that terrifies me. At the end of this month, I am joining my eldest daughter and some family friends on the Camino de Santiago. 

Some background for the uninitiated:  for over a thousand years, pilgrims have been making their way on foot to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in Northwest Spain.  Tradition has it that the remains of the Apostle St. James are buried there under the cathedral.  

My friend Lila’s invited me and my daughter Madeleine to join them and another family on this adventure.  We will fly to Spain, take a train to our starting point, then over the course of 10 days we will be trekking about 12 miles per day.  We’ll stay in hostels, sample local fare, and slowly make our way along one of the most important Christian pilgrimage routes.  All on foot.  Did I mention that we’d be walking?  This is an important point.  Oh, and we start in less than a month.

Why am I doing this?  Am I crazy? What do I hope to achieve spiritually, emotionally, and physically?  What am I terrified of?  Why do I want to do it so badly?   All valid questions that I, myself, am going to find the answers to.  I plan to blog my (alarmingly short) training period and will explore these topics more fully.

But for now, I just wanted to let you know.  I ask you to pray for me as I embark on this adventure.