In January, I signed up to go with a group on the Portuguese Coastal Camino through the company Prayerful Path led by Mary Maddox from Georgia https://prayerfulpath.com. It would be nice to go in a small group of ten people and feel the camaraderie and support of fellow travelers. When I turned fifty, I started … Continue reading Camino Bound: Going Solo–Again
Solo journeys
Camino Bound: Symbols to Carry
In a week, I'll take off for Porto to start my walk on the Portuguese Coastal Camino. I've considered what I should carry beyond the necessities of clothing, medications, maps, and travel documents. I've felt a need for symbols that will anchor me in my purpose. For many years, the scallop shell has been the … Continue reading Camino Bound: Symbols to Carry
Camino Bound: A Blessing for the Journey
Last Saturday, when I met with my Raleigh Chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino, our leader recognized any in our group who would be heading out on the path in the next month; that was me. In the presence of many who have walked the Camino, and others who are anticipating that journey, he … Continue reading Camino Bound: A Blessing for the Journey
Camino Prep: Setbacks
It's four weeks now until I leave for Portugal to walk the Coastal Camino path to Santiago. I'm amazed at how the time has passed since I first made the plan to go on pilgrimage on that ancient path. Since I started my training at the Hunter St Park, we've gone through fall, winter, spring, … Continue reading Camino Prep: Setbacks
Cancerversary: The Things You Carry
Yesterday I celebrated twenty-four years since being diagnosed with breast cancer; how grateful I am to be saying this again. Over the years, I've made friends with others who've gone through treatment like me, as well as women that have either not survived or had to deal with ongoing metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A woman … Continue reading Cancerversary: The Things You Carry
Internal Pilgrimage: Questioning Long-Held Assumptions
Last week I shared with you a section of the book, The Soul of a Pilgrim: Eight Practices for the Journey Within. It's a resource I'm using to prepare for my upcoming Camino journey, but on a broader level, one for looking at the internal journey that we're all walking. In the book, Christine Valters … Continue reading Internal Pilgrimage: Questioning Long-Held Assumptions
The Pilgrimage Within
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
My Mother, My Teacher
Today is Mother's Day and I think of Mama and all that she taught me. I realize, now that I'm older and a mother and grandmother, that our mothers did the best they could based on all that formed them. Mama, was born in 1923 and grew up in rural North Carolina during the Great … Continue reading My Mother, My Teacher
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
Follow Your Intuition
For years, I've had the practice of taking a yearly Solo Journey. This started by accident, "serendipitously" --I like to say. I took my first one to Sedona, Arizona in 2001 following eight months of breast cancer treatment. Four years after that trip, I took an "intentional" one for my 50th birthday present to Jekyll … Continue reading Follow Your Intuition
Connie Rosser Riddle 