The Way
The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St James, is a pilgrimage route in northwestern Spain leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.
The pilgrimage demonstrates fervor, repentance, hospitality, art, and culture, and many still make this trek a spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth.
The Camino de Santiago was the setting of the filming of “The Way,” a 2010 movie directed by Emilio Estevez and stars both he and his father, Martin Sheen.
The story is about a father (Martin Sheen) who heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son (Emilio Estevez), who died while traveling the El Camino de Santiago. The father decides to take the pilgrimage himself, scattering his son’s ashes along the way.
It’s a beautiful story of understanding, accepting, and appreciating the stories of the people he meets along the way.
Three of us at work decided we wanted to make the pilgrimage. We watched the movie and thought it would be a fantastic experience.
It takes approximately six weeks to walk from beginning to end. The problem is that we’re all at different career points. One is retired, one is retiring in a few months, and I’m still working.
The workmate who is retired will start his pilgrimage this month. I wish him a soul-enriching journey, and I can’t wait to see his posts and hear all about it when he returns.
I may not make the El Camino de Santiago trek, but I look at each day as an opportunity to find out who I am, my problems, and how I can come to peace with the world.
I find joy in connecting with fellow spiritual seekers and the lessons to be learned from the pilgrims around me.
I think I’ll watch “The Way” again and let my mind and soul start their journey because the only impossible journey is the one you never begin.