From the minute my eyes open it hits me. It's Mother's Day and here I am thousands of miles away from my three babies. It has been many years since I've been with my oldest two on this day, since they have grown & moved on with their lives, but my baby is still home and it's very hard to be away from her today.
I spend a lot of time wondering what my life will soon be like with all three of them grown & living away from home. In part, I know that my motivation to take this trip now, is in preparation for what lies ahead. Since the age of 16, when I had Levi, I have worried & fretted over each stage of their lives, hoping & praying that I was making the right decisions for them when they were young, and then later, that I had given them the proper tools to lead healthy, happy lives as adults.
I know that most every parent feels this way, but I am truly blessed. While my children are certainly not perfect and are still busy learning some valuable life lessons, they are healthy and working hard to make their way in life. I think that as our children grow and our relationships with them change and evolve through the years, the best way to determine success is if you would have them as a friend. I can honestly say that my three have all grown to be adults that I would easily & eagerly befriend.
As I lie awake at 4am with thoughts of my kiddos, I am listening to people rustle about in their packs, and amazed that anyone can summon the energy to move. The snoring, entirely credited to one very large & rather unpleasant German fellow who wears a very tasteful sleeping mask which reads "wet dreams", was absolutely earth shaking.
My recovery after each day of walking has been very quick, with the exception of my little Basque toe. At the end of my walk each day I am tired and the muscles in my legs & back sore, but after a shower and an hour or so of down time writing in my journal I am nearly as good as new. The little Basque toe is the only problem, continuing to hurt no matter how much rest it gets.
We begin with a very quick breakfast because there is nothing left, the locusts have swarmed early this morning, and hit the road. My entire body feels great, except the little toe which has swollen to three times it's size.
As we head out of town we see Lauren from D.C. sitting in a cafe. She tells us that she is struggling with physical & family demands, so will bus on to Leon to shave some time off her trip and that Lynette has gotten an early start.
We part and begin the long days walk. My frame of mind is rather melancholy, I am in fear that it will be a significant struggle for me today. Many miles and several hours to think about how much I miss my kids.
Jenny pulls away from me quickly with her long strides and I settle in to my focused fast hobble. I walk several miles before I come upon Jenny again. She has stopped to have a break with Fabian & Marek. She asks if my little Basque toe is causing me great problems and I tell her that it has improved a bit. She can tell I'm a little out of sorts so I share that it's Mother's Day and that I'm missing my children. The kids decide that I am now their Camino Madre & they my Camino Ninjas for the day. This is pretty cute, and makes me smile....but I still miss my own babies. We walk together for a bit & then the boys move on ahead.
In Navarette, we stop for coffee & quick tapas. While sitting at an outdoor cafe in the town square, the church bells begin to ring continuously. It's absolutely beautiful & we figure out later that it's confirmation for all the children of age in the village. Little girls in white dresses & little boys in white suits parade by us smiling & waving with all of the village following behind. Another amazing Camino moment, and on Mother's Day...not something I'm ever going to forget.
As we enter Ventosa, we come upon some ruins and there sit Fabby & Marek with Benedict & Martin all waving and shouting "Hola Camino Madre!" They make me laugh like mad all the way to check in at Albergue San Saturno. Here we have bed, laundry, & wifi for only 9 euro...such luxury!
We have quite a large group of lovely people here to stay with us. All my new Camino children, Pietra, Jane & Charlotte (the two English sisters from Sheffield), but thankfully, there are no signs of my germ ridden Italian friend.
It is a lovely sunny day and there is a nice courtyard which everyone gathers in. The kids are all gathered around a table playing cards & as I watch & listen I know that they would be the kids that my children would choose as friends. I can just picture Login sitting at the table with them playing cards as she & her friends do at school during lunch each day. While Jenny is 28, the boys are much closer to Login's age at 19.
When the final game ends Jenny tells me that my Camino Ninjas want to take me to dinner. The evening is a lot of fun. The kids teach me things in German & we discuss Camino names in depth before heading to bed.
The day was good & little Basque toe seems to be on the mend finally. I fall asleep thinking about my time with Login in June...I can't wait to spend time with her looking at potential colleges & hear about everything that's happened in her life since I left.
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