After spending three days in Zamora and Viĺlaralba, Dave and I will spend the next sixteen days walking with no breaks if we want to reach Santiago on April 26. We started from Zamora this morning and walked 19 kilometres to Montamarta. My feet are okay, except for my toe next to my left big toe that has a sore from rubbing that causes some distress.
Our walking pace is good and we are averaging over four kilometres an hour. Once I get into walking rhythm, I can reach a point where there is a stillness that I enter into. I am at peace and not concerned about anything ahead or behind. It is then that I understand the verse in the Bible, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). It becomes easier to still my interior monologue of thoughts and enter into a place of calm assurance that all is as it should be. It is at these times that I can pray for those close to me and those whom I know are struggling. I guess this is what “contemplation” means to me: reaching a point of stillness where I can focus on things and people other than myself. I think this practice will only grow stronger in the days to come.