Two months from next Wednesday, I'll set off for my Camino journey. On August 5th, I'll fly to Porto, Portugal the starting point for my trek that'll last for 17 days and 173 miles. I've been training--more or less, over the past few months, building my time in my trail running shoes, walking for hours … Continue reading The Pilgrimage Within
anxiety
Wait on the Lead
Throughout my life, I've found it hard to wait. And now, our world is going at such a fast pace that we find our environment is not conducive to waiting. Growing up in the country, when I was a young girl living on a farm, the pace of life was much slower and there was … Continue reading Wait on the Lead
Preparing for the Journey: Pack Light
As we move on through April, and my August journey to Portugal is drawing closer, I find myself reading and writing more about what's ahead. My current journal was given to me by a friend who knew about my yearly solo trips. It's covered in old world maps and throughout there are quotes about travel. … Continue reading Preparing for the Journey: Pack Light
Finding the Beauty of Winter
Yesterday was what might be called a "miserable day" in our area of North Carolina; a gray, rainy, chilled-to-the-bone Saturday that could make you pull up the covers and stay in bed. Some areas of the country were blanketed in bright white snow, which while posing more road hazards and threatening electricity outages, can brighten … Continue reading Finding the Beauty of Winter
Christmas Time: Loss and Longing
We've now entered Advent--- as it's called in the Christian Calendar, that time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. And for others, who may not be steeped in the Christian tradition but celebrate the season, it's also a special time of memories and meaning. As much as popular and traditional songs celebrate this … Continue reading Christmas Time: Loss and Longing
The Camino is Calling
This past week was my third of training for the journey I want to take next June. I was talking with my younger son, Ross and described my travel plan. I told him I'd written a blog post and referred to taking a journey with more walking than I've ever done. Then I confessed, "I'm … Continue reading The Camino is Calling
Late Bloomers
I've been to two 50th High School Reunions in the past month: mine and John's, my boyfriend. Before each, I've looked at the annuals for our senior year. There were so many similarities in that any page of class pictures looked very much alike because we shared common hair and clothing styles in 1973. Like … Continue reading Late Bloomers
An Irish Path
One year ago today, I was flying with my cousin, Kim from Edinburgh, Scotland to Dublin, Ireland. We'd just completed a six-day Rabbie's bus tour into the Outer Hebrides on the west coast of Scotland. There, on the wondrous Isle of Skye, Kim had scattered her mother's ashes--her final request, to honor her mother's McDonald … Continue reading An Irish Path
What You Think About Expands
Last week I used a Robin Sharma quote in my post: "What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny." I spoke to the first part of the quote "what you focus on grows" and at the end, suggested I needed to move onto the next … Continue reading What You Think About Expands
Free to be Free
On Tuesday, our country will celebrate Independence Day, paying tribute to our hard-earned freedom made possible by men and women in uniform. It's easy to talk about freedom when you live in an area that's not threatened by war, where children can mostly play in their yards without fear, and where the people you love … Continue reading Free to be Free
Connie Rosser Riddle 