They’ll be days like this
Sometimes images can say more than words. This month’s blog is simply a collage of photos from our Caminos over the past few weeks along with a poem from one of our visitors. Hope you like them!
We’ve been blessed to have shared the Camino with many great people, each with their own unique story and personality. We’ve laughed and we’ve sang together as we walked onwards. One of them, Eileen Linehan, put pen to paper on her return to Carlow to reflect on her Camino experience with our small group of 7 people in Waterford. Your words Eileen say more than I ever could. Thank you!
Camino Days – Waterford May ’18
Mother and Father God,
Creator of earth, sea and sky,
we breathe and
embrace your fullness
with our every step.
Smiling sunshine warms our waiting yearning hearts
Strains of bird-song grace expectant ears.
Bluebelled woodland paths lead us on our way
Daisyed grasses brighten our trail
Lace-like leafy branches arch a mantle above us
Felled tree trunks lure us to sit awhile
Majestic mountains raise us to new heights
Cascading waters caress our dipped feet
Crystal raindrops cleanse our every pore
Perfumed gardens delight our senses
Cliff edged jaunts challenge us to trust
Passing clouds snatch any lingering gloom
Myriad of coloured landscapes, hidden harbours,
gorsed groves, smooth sands and rugged rock
urge us to continue onwards and upwards.
Swish of breeze
flow of wave and
rustle of leaf
breathe your Spirit ever closer
as we
trek and trudge
journey and joke
gather and gaze
commune and climb
marvel and muse
wander and wonder
pause and ponder
retreat and reflect
in hollowed and hallowed places.
Sacred chants of chapel alert us
to the harmonious melodies
God is composing with our lives.
We are replenished now.
Treasures around us
reawaken us to
the Treasure within.
Blessed in our companioned journeying
but not broken,
we are
rebirthed and reconfirmed.
Last suppers together beckon us
to relive and remember.
(Eileen Linehan)
This is the start of a very significant week for Elaine and myself as our wedding day fast approaches. It is an exciting time and one that makes us very aware of the people who have shared the journey with us over the years, some alongside, some close by in spirit.
Want to leave this month’s blog with an excerpt from Emma Hannigan’s ‘Letters to my daughters’ before her untimely passing. Her lines inspire at the deepest of levels. ‘Til next month, we’ll leave the last word with Emma…
“Life is so precious, we never know the day or the hour that it will be whipped away. So fill your days with as much happiness as you can muster.
Stay away from the drains. We all know them. They’re the people who pull the good out of everything. The ones who suck beauty from things and change colour to black and white. Leave them fester. I think they secretly enjoy being grim.
Instead, gravitate towards light and laughter – like a moth to a flame remembering not to get your pretty wings burnt. You’ll like it better there I promise.
Until we meet again, may all that is good and decent be yours.”
(Emma Hannigan, ‘Letters to my daughters’)
Dr. Phil Brennan gives motivational talks to community groups across Ireland. He and his fiancée Elaine invite you to share in one of their specially tailored Caminos through Waterford County during 2018. The Waterford Camino experience blends walks/cycles, motivational talks and music.
For further information, check out our website on www.waterfordcamino.com or email directly at info@waterfordcamino.com
