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Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that
I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
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"God, I offer myself to Thee
To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
May I do Thy will always!"
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I started walking at 7 am this morning with a day in the mountaintop on offer! At stage the mountains looked so far away that it seemed unlikely that we would ever get near them. After about 16km of steady and easy climbing we were really into the mountain. The scenery was amazing, mountain peak after peak dotted all around us. The trees sometimes gave shelter from the now very warm sun, at other times it was totally exposed. The air felt crisper and fresher than it had anytime in the past week or so. The colours again so sharp and beautiful, the many shades of greens, the purple heather, the yellow flowers that dotted the high mountain path was very uplifting.
The shepherd, with his two dogs looking after his flock of sheep, looked like he had the best job of all (maybe just for today). This place felt like being in heaven on earth and I felt so grateful to be here to feel part of this beautiful planet.
It was just after mid day when we made it to La Cruz de Ferro. This is the traditional place to leave a stone to represent the intentions for walking the The Way of St James. I had brought two stones, one for a friend and one for myself. I laid my friends stone first and prayed that whatever her intentions were that her prayer may be answered. I brought my own stone from Garretstown, a place near and dear to my heart. I then placed my own stone at the foot of the cross and spent some time in reflection and prayer. I felt totally at peace within and in my place here on earth. My thought, reflections and prayers will all be recorded in my own personal journal. I felt the two prayers captured my feelings very well. I felt very humbled to be given this opportunity. Anny Sandra too had a number of stones to leave here an she had her own private ceremony, while leaving the stones behind.
We walked for about another hour before stopping for a picnic. Our plan had been to stop a tiny albergue in the virtually abandoned village of Manjarin, which has a population of ONE!! But on seeing the conditions, no showers, no electricity, mattresses on the floor we decided to continue our journey through the mountains. The 7km down hill walk to El Acebo, while very beautiful seemed more like a 20km hike. We were glad to get to the village albergue and we will share a bedroom with about 20 others! It was a very though days walking (about 30km) though mountains, I'm sure when adjusted for the climb it would be almost equivalent to about 40km.
It's been a long, long day in so many ways yet I feel so much lighter after visiting the cross. An early night, a late start and a short day is the plan for tomorrow.
Buen Camino
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