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The story of your Stone at the Cruz de Ferro

wayfarer

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2012, 2013, 2014.
20120515_083228.jpg Coming from a remark about the varied geology of the stones which are placed at the Cruz de Ferro by pilgrims on another thread I decided to start this thread.

Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you.

When I decided to walk the Camino I was discussing the tradition of placing the stone at the Cruz de Ferro with my family, about a week later two of my grand daughters each brought me a stone from a local beach on the West coast of Clare, water polished limestone, one was of a size that I would have wanted a donkey or horse to carry it, the other was about two inches in diameter and about one quarter of an inch thick, perfect. I wrote my own name with the date of my Camino on the stone along with the names of family and friends who were deceased, ill or who I just wanted to remember. I carried this to the Cruz de Ferro and placed it there on 15/05/12, a beautiful morning. The stone shattered as I placed it at the cross, (there is another story here for another day) which I took as a bad sign, we Irish are big on signs. I was very disappointed and more than a bit sad, but the remainder of that day was probably the most beautiful day I spent on the Camino so I was happy that it was not all bad karma.

20120515_083228.jpg
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Mine was a stone from the grave of a recently-deceased Uncle. You know, that quartzy-type stuff. Not very big in size, but like everyone else's stone, it had a sentimental weight that was infinite. Made it up there very early in the morning and was lucky to have 15 minutes alone as the sun rose majestically over my right shoulder. I slipped the stone into a crevice in the wood. Yes, there are fabulous cathedrals along the route and sensational mountaintop views & scenary. Personally, there is something more, something magical, about Crux de Ferro.

Interested to hear the story about the shattering stone, wayfarer.
 
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Six thousand years ago Mt Mazama in Oregon blew up. The 12,000 foot stratovolcano was reduced to a 7000 foot caldera, with a 2000 foot deep lake in the middle. A layer of ash and pumice covered over 500,000 sq mi including nearly all of Oregon,Washington, northern California,Idaho, westernMontana, and parts ofUtah,Nevada,Wyoming,Alberta,British Columbia, andSaskatchewan.

Pumice is the perfect rock for carrying on a pilgrimage, so light that it floats. I picked up a piece and stuck it in the bottom of my bag. Now it is part of that weird and wonderful rock pile.
 
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Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you.

A small oval slightly indented pebble of Wicklow granite picked up from the top of Djouce mountain on one of my training walks when I thought that I'd never ever be able to actually 'do it'. I carried it from home via SJPP to Cruz de Ferro. I was in the habit of keeping it in my pocket and, whenever I took a break, rubbing my thumb over it's contours which was strangely reassuring. I had always thought of it as a little piece of home and family so that any worries or problems I, or anyone in the family, were experiencing were somehow represented in that little piece of rock. I left it at the Cruz with a very quick prayer (freezing fog doesn't encourage contemplative prayer). I was very happy that I carried out that ritual ...but I also sort of missed my little Camino 'worry stone'.

My current stone is a small piece of rock from the shore's of Loughguitane in Co Kerry it's smaller and a little less glamourous than the first. It's been tucked away in my pack since starting my current Camino in Nuremberg so it's has acquired an altogether different lustre.
 
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Yes, there are fabulous cathedrals along the route and sensational mountaintop views & scenary. Personally, there is something more, something magical about Crux de Ferro.

Interested to hear the story about the shattering stone, wayfarer.

I agree Tinkerbell, it is a magical place and thats why I would like to see it again.
The story of the shattering stone involved a combination of a bus load of French tourists and impatience on my part. It's funny looking back on it now but I was pretty miffed at the time as indeed were many other pilgrims who were there.
 
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Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you.

I collected my three small stones, all Yorkshire sand stone as I walked along a ridge in Nidderdale Uk. The thoughts were much heavier than the stones as I remembered those love ones I had lost, so thankfully setting out from Leon they were not to burden me for too long, so to speak.
When I reached the Cross the few pilgrims there, were just about to leave , so in the thick mist I climbed up alone and placed the stones at the foot of the Cross and said my prayers. It was such a powerful moment I came down off the hill in tears, but unburdened .
You are right it is a very special place!!
 
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Lovely story Wayfarer. Limestone would be quite fragile and it wouldn't take much of a blow to shatter it. And you are still in rugged good health!! :)

My stone was a smooth heart-shaped stone picked off the beach below the Mourne Mountains by my eldest grandson. I also inscribed it with my grandchildren's names and those of my parents and parents-in-law. I placed it where I hope my grandchildren can find it in years to come if they so wish. This year I walked to Muxia and placed another of my grandson's stones in sight of the Santuario da Virxe da Barca. My grandson is now living with his parents near Melbourne in Australia :( but we still exchange beach stones :) xxx for little M
 
Our stones came from Grandpa's driveway (he lives next door to us). Just as we were about to hop in the car to go to the airport I said to everyone, "Zip over to Grandpa's and pick up a small stone - you're going to carry it for a while and in a few weeks you'll find out why!"

As we approached, I explained the significance, then we got a photo of ten of us....



...and one of the photographer too...



.....then once we climbed up the pile my daughter, with her camera, looked down....






...and up....
 
I brought 8 stones with me, 1 from the grave of my parents Jim and Lucy, 1 from the rubble remains of my fathers childhood home in Monarue, Co. Kilkenny where I had spent my childhood holidays, 1 from the the garden of Derrynahinch a mile from Monarue where the current branch of my father's Kilkenny relatives live, 1 from the current burial plot of my Kilkenny relatives in Knocktopher, 1 from the ancestral burial plot of the Kilkenny side of the family from the now abandoned cemetery at Stonecarthy where 2 of my father's siblings were buried in the 1920's, my regular hiking partner Rosa Murray supplied a pebble taken from beside the J B Malone Memorial on the Wicklow Way, my cousin Catherina ( with a long time interest in all things Camino ) supplied a small piece of limestone from her garden in the Burren ( she's going to be joining me on her 1st Camino next June along with Rosa and Wendy ) and my partner Wendy supplied a small shell taken from the Coral Beach on the Isle of Skye where we had a great break 2 years earlier.
In the end I decided not to place the stone from my parents grave at the Cruz de Ferro and instead carried it all the way to Finisterre and Muxia and then replaced it on their grave when I returned home.
Seamus
 
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Beautiful stories. Thanks to all of you.
Don't know if I dare to share my own story: It lies in the near future, 6 months from now.

Edit: OK: My father died when I was only 15: He frequently keeps in contact with me through my dreams. I am thankful for that. Next spring, I will carry a stone from his private salmon river in The Arctic (which is now mine), and deliver it at the Crux. Hopefully, we will terminate my dreams that way. I have also instructed my children that when I pass on, my ashes shall be spread into that same river. So, a part of me will also be on the Camino forever. Mine and my father's stone will be at the Crux forever together, since whe share names, and I am in the river, touching the stones that I and my father loved/loves.

I will also walk for a person once in our family, who was murdered and cut into 8+ pieces by a lunatic. I will ask the Pilgrim Office to put his name on the Compostela instead of mine: I just do the walk on his behalf. He was a dedicated Catholic, and I will send it (The Compostela) to his old mother. That way, he WILL have walked the Camino, in spirit at least, and he has received all blessings post mortem.

There is a nice saying:
"As long as someone thinks of you and love you, you are not really dead."
 
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Beautiful stories. Thanks to all of you.
Don't know if I dare to share my own story: It lies in the near future, 6 months from now.


Oh my gosh, Alex. I just read your post. My heart feels so full of emotions of which I can only express by hoping that your camino and your visit to Cruz de Ferro will be all you hope it to be.
 
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Thanks wayfarer for starting this fantastic thread. I echo Karen's thoughts - all the stories are very beautiful.
I collected my rock - a small piece of sandstone - from the beach at Darook Park in Cronulla, one of Sydney's southern suburbs. It came from a place where my late Dad loved to fish. Mum and Dad would take us swimming at 'Darookie' when we were kids and it's always been a significant place for our whole family. As I dedicated my Camino last year to my parents, I thought that taking a rock to the Cruz de Ferro from a place that was special to Dad would be something that he would have loved. Leaving the rock at the Cruz de Ferro was overwhelming - honouring both my parents in such a sacred place for pilgrims.
Cheers - Jenny
 
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The stone I carry next time will be a tiny pebble I collected in June this year - so small that I keep it in a container so that I don't loose it. It is a pebble that I picked up (probably illegally!) from the garden at the spiritual / quiet centre at the interstate childrens hospital where my 4 year old grandson had 12 hour brain surgery. I collected this pebble while having some time out after his surgery and have decided that I will take it with me and leave at the Cruz de Ferro. I will leave it with not only my thoughts and prayers for him and the rest of his family, but with a wish that one day, before I am too old, I can take him on part of the Camino and maybe we can even visit this spot together. Janet
 
Coming from a remark about the varied geology of the stones which are placed at the Cruz de Ferro by pilgrims on another thread I decided to start this thread.

Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you.

When I decided to walk the Camino I was discussing the tradition of placing the stone at the Cruz de Ferro with my family, about a week later two of my grand daughters each brought me a stone from a local beach on the West coast of Clare, water polished limestone, one was of a size that I would have wanted a donkey or horse to carry it, the other was about two inches in diameter and about one quarter of an inch thick, perfect. I wrote my own name with the date of my Camino on the stone along with the names of family and friends who were deceased, ill or who I just wanted to remember. I carried this to the Cruz de Ferro and placed it there on 15/05/12, a beautiful morning. The stone shattered as I placed it at the cross, (there is another story here for another day) which I took as a bad sign, we Irish are big on signs. I was very disappointed and more than a bit sad, but the remainder of that day was probably the most beautiful day I spent on the Camino so I was happy that it was not all bad karma.


I started my Camino at SJPP. I carried from Indianapolis a smooth, flat stone which I picked up while doing my training walk before I started my Camino. I washed it then glued & taped a picture of my daughter I lost to cancer 9 yrs ago. Laying that stone on that hill gave me my much needed closure & acceptance of God's plan for her and me. It gave me the peace that I image.jpg unknowingly have been searching for all this time. I felt a big burden lifted off my shoulders & I went down that hill of stones in tears. A gentleman pilgrim hugged me then helped me get down that hill, and so did a couple of pilgrims. Then they bowed their heads & prayed silently. I also carried with me a stone wrapped in a piece of paper with prayer request from my neighbor who had liver transplant a few years ago then open heart surgery 6 mos ago. This is why the Cruz de Ferro is a very special place for me. Buen Camino.
 
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Like many others, my time at the Cruz de Ferro was the spiritual highlight of my Camino. It was one of three places where I literally cried in gratitude to God -- the other times being as my wife and I walked hand-in-hand into the square before the Cathedral in Santiago, and once more during the Pilgrims' Mass later that morning as the magnitude of my accomplishment hit me.

Before leaving for the Camino, I asked family and friends if they had something or someone they wished me to pray for as my wife and I made this 800-km pilgrimage as offering to God for the graces in our lives. So I took several stones, including a small sack of 40+ small pebbles, upon which I had written the name of the person for whom I was praying as I walked the Camino. Each day, at the start of our walk and again as we set forth again after our lunch break, I would randomly draw one of those pebbles and pray for that person. As I drew the random stone, I would place it in another small sack so I would not mistakenly draw it again, thereby ensuring that all persons had been prayed for by the time we reached the Cruz de Ferro. We reached the Cruz de Ferro right as the sun was peeking over the eastern horizon. There were only six or eight other pilgrims there at the time, which meant we had plenty of solo time at the base of the cross for my wife and I to individually place the pebbles while saying a short prayer for each one. I also placed my personal stone plus another stone I picked up on a hike right on the continental divide here in Colorado, which I offered in thanksgiving to God for allowing me to live in such a beautiful location. That stone, a piece of pure white quartz, bore the inscription "Continental Divide, Colorado, USA, 12,500 ft / 3800 m".

The attached photo says it all.
Cruz de Ferro - R1 small.jpg
 
My heart feels so full of emotions of which I can only express by hoping that your camino and your visit to Cruz de Ferro will be all you hope it to be.
It will. I know. Been there and have felt the spirit of 1000 years of pilgrims. Jump, Karen. And bring your own stone of burdens. Miracles do happen.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
I started my Camino at SJPP. I carried from Indianapolis a smooth, flat stone which I picked up while doing my training walk before I started my Camino. I washed it then glued & taped a picture of my daughter I lost to cancer 9 yrs ago. Laying that stone on that hill gave me my much needed closure & acceptance of God's plan for her and me. It gave me the peace that I View attachment 6726 unknowingly have been searching for all this time. I felt a big burden lifted off my shoulders & I went down that hill of stones in tears. A gentleman pilgrim hugged me then helped me get down that hill, and so did a couple of pilgrims. Then they bowed their heads & prayed silently. I also carried with me a stone wrapped in a piece of paper with prayer request from my neighbor who had liver transplant a few years ago then open heart surgery 6 mos ago. This is why the Cruz de Ferro is a very special place for me. Buen Camino.

Thank you for sharing your story indyrem. So sorry to hear about your daughter. But also glad to hear that you found the peace and closure you needed.
Blessings,
Karen
 
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All these stories are so touching! Thank you Wayfarer for this post.
My stone comes from my garden in South Africa. About 12 years ago my husband and I were walking in the kopjes (hills) near our home along a very stony path. I remarked that the stones were so pretty and wouldn't they look beautiful in our garden around a tree where the grass was not growing. Needless to say my husband was not impressed (censored) when I asked him to fetch some later in the car. But he did, muttering all the way!
He died in a car accident in May 2005 and when I decided to do the Camino- May 2012, I took one of these stones with me, wrote his name on it, and placed it on the hill at the foot of the cross! A very poignant moment for me.
Jenny
 
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Coming from a remark about the varied geology of the stones which are placed at the Cruz de Ferro by pilgrims on another thread I decided to start this thread.

Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you.

When I decided to walk the Camino I was discussing the tradition of placing the stone at the Cruz de Ferro with my family, about a week later two of my grand daughters each brought me a stone from a local beach on the West coast of Clare, water polished limestone, one was of a size that I would have wanted a donkey or horse to carry it, the other was about two inches in diameter and about one quarter of an inch thick, perfect. I wrote my own name with the date of my Camino on the stone along with the names of family and friends who were deceased, ill or who I just wanted to remember. I carried this to the Cruz de Ferro and placed it there on 15/05/12, a beautiful morning. The stone shattered as I placed it at the cross, (there is another story here for another day) which I took as a bad sign, we Irish are big on signs. I was very disappointed and more than a bit sad, but the remainder of that day was probably the most beautiful day I spent on the Camino so I was happy that it was not all bad karma.
My stone was a fist sized fossil shell in lime stone from my home place in Paderborn-Germany.
Buen Camino
Jochen
 
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My stone came from my parents home in Colorado, USA. My father loved to travel and hike and would have been so happy to know about my pilgrimage. But he had been placed in a nursing home a few months earlier, his dementia so bad that my mother could no longer take care of him. Having the stone in my pocket was a comfort to me along the way, like I was bringing him with me. The morning I climbed to the top of the pile and placed it among the others was chilly and foggy and beautiful. Seeing his/my stone piled among all the others was one of the most meaningful moments of my pilgrimage. We are all walking this long road.
 
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Blake
I had been walking for 23 days and had covered 350 miles. I had had time to think about every aspect if my life. And I had come to terms with so many things. God had spoken to me over and over again as I had walked alone for the biggest part if those first 2 weeks. My body had broken down, and I was forced to ignore my flesh completely. I had been broken in body, mind will and emotions.
As I became more and more aware that I was coming closer to the Cruz de Ferro. ( an iron cross placed at the highest point on the Camino) I began to collect small rocks. I would look intently until I found one of interest. If pick it up rub it in my hands, feel the texture of it. If after abit of time it wasn't feeling like a good fit I would throw it back to the ground and begin again.
I wanted one rock for each of my family members. Once I had the right amount, I would handle them, look at them and slowly each rock received a name. 7 rocks, 7 names in all. Tom, Nicole, Matthew, Levi, Blake, Mom, Dad. I carefully penned each name on their designated rock.
I laid them out and photographed them in the shape of a person. I held each one lovingly as I thought about them and how each person would respond to the changes that had occurred within me through this journey.
I had a last look at my collection and prepared to bring my rocks at sunrise the next morning to the Cruz de Ferro. I began placing them into my backpack pocket. But as I held the one inscribed with my grandson Blake's name on it, I wasn't ready to place it into the pocket.
I held it in my hand. I rubbed it between my fingers as I watched the sun slowly disappear behind the mountain, turning the sky shades of orange and pink. I watched as the garrison of guardian windmills slowly spun on top of the majestic mountain tops and I thought of the last words I remembered Blake saying to me "Memaw, water". As we crossed the river. That was more than 5 years ago,
Turning the stone over and over in my hand, tears began to puddle in my eyes and spill down my cheeks. The pain of the loss at times overcomes me. I knew I couldn't place the stone with the others. I couldn't let it go. But what would I do with that tiny symbolic stone?
After minutes of silently weeping, I decided I would take this one stone home. I would keep it safe and close until God restored what Satan had destroyed. I would wait for the mighty hand of God to put things right.
And when all is repaired and restored, I would return, hopefully with Blake in tow to put his stone in its rightful place with the others.
I will hold onto Gods promise to restore what the locust had devoured. One day!



Cruz de Ferro
We woke early to begin the 2.3 km hike up to the highest point of the entire trip. We wanted to watch the sun rise come up behind the Cruz de Ferro (the iron cross).
As we climbed I began to realize that we had miscalculated the timing and the dawn was breaking, but we still had a ways to climb before reaching the top. As I peered into the sky it was very apparent that the cloud cover was extremely thick, so there would probably not be much of a display of brilliant colors usually associated with the sunrise for the past 26 days.
I tromped silently ever upward. As I neared the top I placed the symbolic stones into the palm of my hands and carried them ever so gently. Thinking over to myself why I chose each stone. What each person those stones represented met to me. Tears began to roll silently down my cheeks. I wanted these loved ones to know Christ like I have come to know Him. As my savior, my beloved, my provider, my protector, my healer, my everything! And I wanted us to be complete. I thought of my love for each one and how the love if one never diminished my love for the other. I would die for each one.
The other pilgrims stood quietly as they each reflected on what they were about to place below the plain iron cross. Many with tears. Each pilgrim waited their turn very solemnly and respectfully.
As I waited, I coupled those tiny rocks In my hand, touching each one lovingly and praying over them.
My time had come to lay my symbolic items at the foot of the cross. Tears flowed freely as I began my ascent to the top. I was so aware that I was about to place those people I loved the very most into the arms of my beloved Christ . As I made the emotional accent I was very aware that I was walking on other people's dreams, hurts, triumphs , questions, and more. This felt like a holy place.
I stood and turned my loved ones stones over in my hand one more time and then began to place each stone gently at the foot of the cross. I laid Blake's beside the others and then reminded him that we would return together to place his stone in its rightful place with the others when Gods timing was right.
As I slowly descended, I began to observe some of the things left behind by others And my emotions overwhelmed me, I knew I had experienced something Holy. I was wondering if the other pilgrims knew also.
It was my friends turn, we had shared so much of our lives in this short time, I watched as she began to climb to the top. She had never told me what she was leaving, but as I watched I knew. And I saw the pain and loss.
I took a few minutes to photograph some of the more moving items, But each item or stone has a deep significance.
I placed my one little stone back into my pocket just as the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. God, the supreme artist, displayed Himself in all His glory.
This day will forever be a pivotal point in my life. And I will remember it forever. Until I return to complete the task I began.







 
... Where did you get your stone, what type of stone is it, how far did you carry it and a little about its story relevent to you...
Early last October, at the (new) Pilgrims' Office of Santiago, an elder man from Canada sadly told me that he had traveled with a stone for a very dear friend all the way, with the intention to place it at the Cruz de ferro as a prayer. Once there, he frantically searched all over his pack and didn't find the stone. With great disappointment and sorrow he finished his pilgrimage in Santiago and ......... found the stone in his pack!.
When I suggested to him that he place the stone on the staircase ledge at the (old) Pilgrims' Office, where many others had done the same, he broke into thankful tears. A huge weight had been lifted.;)
 
Thanks to each of you -beautiful pilgrims - for sharing these words. I'm smiling and tearful reading each personal account of your stone(s) and what they represented.
I have spent as much time thinking about my future stone as I have planning for my first camino (2014).
Blessings to you!
 
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It was the most moving and emotional experience of my life and also for the friend I met along the way. My stone was not with me I had lost it along the way which was a good thing I thought. I wrote a note to my dad and left it on the cross, and prayed for him and there was a great uplifting in doing this. it was here that I was able to leave my father behind - a gentleman I hardly knew but who to this day has an a huge impact on me without even knowing it and sadly I never got to tell him that. Today i am my father's son and I see him each day in the mirror.
Yes there have been plenty of tears and a great spring of tears as I write this.
It took me almost a lifetime to learn that my God was in my dad and that he is with me daily.
 
I picked up my stone while attending a Pilgrim Gathering in Santa Barbara this past Spring. I was touring the Mission where I found a bowl of stones with a note encouraging everyone to take one. I used red nail polish to paint a heart on one side and my late husband's initials on the other. I fully intended to leave his stone as a symbol of something he could not do. When I arrived at the Cross, I felt disappointed and let down. I just didn't feel the pull that others talk about. I brought my stone home as a memento of my trek and accomplishment.
 
It was the most moving and emotional experience of my life and also for the friend I met along the way. My stone was not with me I had lost it along the way which was a good thing I thought. I wrote a note to my dad and left it on the cross, and prayed for him and there was a great uplifting in doing this. it was here that I was able to leave my father behind - a gentleman I hardly knew but who to this day has an a huge impact on me without even knowing it and sadly I never got to tell him that. Today i am my father's son and I see him each day in the mirror.
Yes there have been plenty of tears and a great spring of tears as I write this.
It took me almost a lifetime to learn that my God was in my dad and that he is with me daily.
That makes it two of us, dear fellow pillow pilgrim.
 
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When I was 21 my 19 year old sister died. It was awful and (without getting into details) I have never recovered from her loss or the tragic manner of her death. I am 50 years old and I still suffer from some vague PTSD over the incident. I experienced these terrible, stomach-dropping flash backs that caused my pulse to quicken and a huge lump to form in my throat. I miss her and I regret the life she was not able to lead. Although I have lost many (too many) people since then, other siblings and my parents and best friend - my grief over her the one I continue to feel most keenly. She was my first thought when I read about the Cruz de Fero. I chose a small piece of Pink Texas Granite.
There were days on the Camino...this or that day spent in solitary tramping...when I burst into tears over her. It was nice, a bit cathartic. I don't normally allow myself that sort of weepy self-indulgence.
The day we approached the Cruz I was with two lovely Camino pals. It was sunny and clear and cool and we were all having a great, happy, chatty day. I had imagined the moment as a quiet one, melancholic. Instead it was joyful. I couldn't find the chunk of granite, but I had a tiny, heart-shaped pebble I had picked up on day 3 from a tiny lake beside which my son had waited for me and prepared a little picnic. So I placed that one near the top and walked away feeling good about the day.
When I got home I found the little piece of granite and was glad I hadn't left it there. I carried her memory with me all the way and now I keep it beside my concha. The best part is that I apparently let the horror of her loss fall away when I left the stone. I have not experienced the flashback anguish since.
 
Thank you all for sharing your beautiful and moving stories. I told my wife recently about this and asked her to read the thread from the start, when I came back she was in tears, she was really moved by all the reasons each pilgrim had for making their Camino and leaving their stones, memories and prayers at the Cruz.
Thank you.
 
My stone will be from a very special place.
That have terrorized my life since I was a little child
As child I was abused

I married and got a wonderful family
Some years ago. My history reopened
And I became very ill

I promised my Lord
If I would ever be able to walk again, without pain
I would go to Santiago

So happened
Today I am able to walk, without pain
And even more

I will lift and throw away
My stone
At Cruz de Fero
 
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...
I promised my Lord
If I would ever be able to walk again, without pain
I would go to Santiago
...
There are many reasons why one walks the Camino. Some people walk the Camino just to walk. Some people walk the Camino to search. Some people walk the Camino as a penance. Some people walk the Camino to give thanks. But whatever the reason one walks the Camino, I am certain that if he walks with his heart open to God, he will receive many blessings. I believe that you, Jonas, will receive many blessings.

Buen Camino,
Jim
 
I have carried 5 littles rocks from Gaspe area in Canada, Quebec - symbolizing my friends that are very well connected in been there in life ! All are living issues in life, like we all do .... that makes this life full of challenges and worth living. I may say thanks to my God for not been alone and be able to do this Camino on earth with my friends. I realize after doing this gester that I have acknowledged that I am lucky to have friends. This was an important part in my Camino to Santiago last October !!! Here are my photoscroix-roche-1.jpg
 
I love this thread, absolutely love it - all the posts, all the feelings pouring out - sometimes it is just wonderful, being human.

My stone I carried with me from the Charente, where I was then living - my prayers are still personal - but that moment, that cross, those stones, that cold cold wind - I cried too - we should all cry when there, don't you think?

Buen Camino
 
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Lots of stories, wishes, dreams and prayers behind the stones I'll be carrying next year. All of them deeply personal to the people including myself I will carry them for. More to come and I will carry them with love, a song in my heart and a deep, deep desire to repay some of the kindness shown to me.
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I didn't bring a stone to the Cruz de Ferro. I was walking the camino in honour of my parents who both died within six months in 2006. My parents dug up a clump of irises for me from their garden probably 25 years ago. I have transplanted these bulbs to the garden of every house I have lived in since then, which must be at least four properties. Every time they bloom I think of my parents - even more so since they died. So I dug up a tuber from the clump that I brought to my home in Spain five years ago.

It was looking a bit bedraggled by the time I pulled it out of my backpack after three weeks, and I found a stick to scratch up some earth and plant it at the edge of the pile of stones at the foot of the Iron Cross. Irises grow naturally in the wild in Spain so there is a good chance that it will flourish. I hope to return in a few years to see it adding a bit of colour to the scene.

.....Camino Frances with my daughter: http://magwood.wordpress.com
.
 
My stone was from the rock on the bank of the lake in my garden. I carried it in my pack from Australia, my home, and across Europe with me for four months before I even began the camino. It began to wear down and I would find particles of it throughout my clothing for months. My travels were wearing down my problems even before the camino.

I left my rock on the cruz de ferro on an icy, foggy October morning. I was suddenly overcome with emotion for this stone, everywhere it had been with me, and how much had changed since I took it from the lake on my last morning at home. As I walked up the cross I remember each step I repeated to myself "I am saved, I am saved, I am saved". I wrote a letter to myself and wrapped the rock in it and left it at the cross. I now think of that morning as the moment where the rest of my life began - the life in which I am happy and courageous and have the camino with me in every moment.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I carried a tiny green satin bag with a crystal from the road near the railroad tracks leading up to Meher Baba's Samadhi in Meherabad in India, also a small rock from the top of a mountain overlooking my family's farm on the coast of Oregon, another small rock from the top of another peak some miles south, which overlooks the non profit arts center I helped found, and a small opally pebble from the garden of my dear friend Dan, and a bit of gravel from my friend Dia's driveway. I liked the togetherness of these rocks/crystal, which all together weighed hardly anything.

I left them right at the base of the cruz, and love to think of them being covered and buried and sinking in time as thousands more rocks from thousands more pilgrims cover them.

Cruz de Ferro day was rainy and misty and I too felt the sanctity of the place, like a cathedral without walls. Someone had written in huge letters on the road below "Do not be afraid" "No tiene miedo". Yes.

I needed that message: I was walking the camino with my grandson in my heart, who has cancer. He was just put on hospice this past week, and that message "do not be afraid", plus all that I learned on the camino, is helping me through.
 
Been trying to post this first photo on my blog but a recent software update has changed what I used to be able to do.

These are the stones I will carry to the Cruz de Ferro with one more still to come.

From right to left:

The first four are from my daughter Nicky, her partner and 2 of my grandsons. (Nicky obviously didn't understand what I meant by "a small stone") :eek:

The next 3 are from my son Mark and grandson Callum, his very soon to be wife Mafe ( they get married in the Phillipines the same day I start my Camino on 25th May and my grandaughter Isla. They gave me these stones during a walk we took together in my beloved Scotland.

The next one is from my partner Jill's' daughter and therefor my adopted' grandaughter, her husband and two grandsons. They were on holiday in Scotland last year and bless them, went specifically on a walk in one of my favourite places for a stone. I've included a second photo - the Great Scottish Stone Search by a 3 year old boy and his 4 year old brother. Closely watched by Barney the dog.

Then we have a stone from Sue, a life-long friend of Jill my partner. They are inseparable. Sue is one of life's givers and this stone is from her garden.

Following Sue is Dan. Dan is a family friend who is looked on as a son. This stone in particular is, I truly believe of some very great importance to Dan.

Next in line are the The Smiths (Jill's brother Rick, his wife Stephanie and their children Amy, Lily and Christopher). I am convinced that Rick, if he could would love to walk a Camino.

Kim is next in line. Kim is another dear friend of the family who has had to face and continues to face many of life's cruellest challenges.

Ah! This next one is from the Bakers who again are dear friends of the family. Their stone has a story in itself. They have a small white West Highland Terrier. The stone you are looking at came from her bladder after an operation along with four others, two of which have apparently been sent to somewhere in America for testing. It seems there was something very unusual in their make up?

After the Bakers there's a stone from the grave of my mother and father.

The last two are coming back with me. Both are from Sue (she of the inseparable friendship with Jill). The spotted one is Californian Jasper whilst the final stone is Bloodstone. Sue gave both of those because of what they are reputed to do for a person.

I look at these stones often. I carry them in my pack as I train for my Camino. When I hear them 'chink' as I walk I am reminded of the love and friendship I am blessed with, the love and friendship I have shared, the love and friendship I can look forward to, and how very fortunate a man I am.

Buen Camino
 

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A selection of Camino Jewellery
Been trying to post this first photo on my blog but a recent software update has changed what I used to be able to do.

These are the stones I will carry to the Cruz de Ferro with one more still to come.

From right to left:

The first four are from my daughter Nicky, her partner and 2 of my grandsons. (Nicky obviously didn't understand what I meant by "a small stone") :eek:

The next 3 are from my son Mark, his very soon to be wife Mafe ( they get married in the Phillipines the same day I start my Camino on 25th May and my grandaughter Isla. They gave me these stones during a walk we took together in my beloved Scotland.

The next one is from my partner Jill's' daughter and therefor my adopted' grandaughter, her husband and two grandsons. They were on holiday in Scotland last year and bless them, went specifically on a walk in one of my favourite places for a stone. I've included a second photo - the Great Scottish Stone Search by a 3 year old boy and his 4 year old brother. Closely watched by Barney the dog.

Then we have a stone from Sue, a life-long friend of Jill my partner. They are inseparable. Sue is one of life's givers and this stone is from her garden.

Following Sue is Dan. Dan is a family friend who is looked on as a son. This stone in particular is, I truly believe of some very great importance to Dan.

Next in line are the The Smiths (Jill's brother Rick, his wife Stephanie and their children Amy, Lily and Christopher). I am convinced that Rick, if he could would love to walk a Camino.

Kim is next in line. Kim is another dear friend of the family who has had to face and continues to face many of life's cruellest challenges.

Ah! This next one is from the Bakers who again are dear friends of the family. Their stone has a story in itself. They have a small white West Highland Terrier. The stone you are looking at came from her bladder after an operation along with four others, two of which have apparently been sent to somewhere in America for testing. It seems there was something very unusual in their make up?

After the Bakers there's a stone from the grave of my mother and father.

The last two are coming back with me. Both are from Sue (she of the inseparable friendship with Jill). The spotted one is Californian Jasper whilst the final stone is Bloodstone. Sue gave both of those because of what they are reputed to do for a person.

I look at these stones often. I carry them in my pack as I train for my Camino. When I hear them 'chink' as I walk I am reminded of the love and friendship I am blessed with, the love and friendship I have shared, the love and friendship I can look forward to, and how very fortunate a man I am.

Buen Camino

Hi John - what a beautiful post - thanks so much for sharing the story of the stones you're taking to the Cruz de Ferro. The photos are beautiful too - I love the one of your stones forming the waymarker arrow. Those 'chinks' are going to be wonderful company - their sound has the spirit of your loved ones and dear friends contained within them and will keep you close to them as you walk.
Take joy in every step.
Cheers - Jenny
 
My annual Camino is in memory of my lost daughter. I am fortunate enough to be able to ask someone to send me a small volcanic stone from her hometown in Bend, Oregon every year. Two years ago I also left her small gold crucifix posted on the column. Beside lighting a candle for her in St. Jean Pied de Port periodically. I also do the same thing in the cathedral in Bayonne which was the last church she visited while she was alive and I'm convinced her spirit resides there.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
My wife Mary and I along with friends Austin and Pauline Patterson left SJPDP on 27th May 2013 arriving Santiago 2nd July and collecting over £9500 for Northern Ireland Children's Kidney Fund and Roddensvale Special School. Our granddaughter Rachel aged five had joined the angels in November and the fund was to help support and thank all the medical and teaching staff who had played such an important part in her life. I carried a small stone from her grave and at Cruz de Ferro left it wrapped in a set of small red rosary beads. The atmosphere that day at the cross was the most emotional I have ever experienced. Our daily Camino was recorded in the blog: candmcamino.blogspot
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I am receiving a Pilgrim Blessing at Church in two weeks and will be giving the Sharing Address that night. As I have talked about the Camino previously I thought I would talk about Cruz de Ferro and hence wanted some background reasons for leaving a stone there. Suffice to say that I am overwhelmed reading the responses in this thread and have been using my hankie. At my Blessing I intend to send around a piece of rose quartz for each member of the congregation to hold and ask for the granting of a wish or prayer for themselves, someone else, or the world. God willing I will leave that piece of rose quartz at the Cruz de Ferro in a hope that their prayers are answered and also with the intent that love will be beamed to all pilgrims who go there in the future.

Thank you for sharing.
 
I brought Home an old broke scraper i found in the sands of Laredo. Just an old stone once owned, once used by a Native American who knows when.
Who knows its journey?
How far did it travel in someones kit?
Why was it left there
Did some person sit and look at what they held in their hands? and wonder?
I brought it home excitedly for Dad to see
he held it and wondered at its antiquity and provenance.
He Passed away quietly, surrounded by Family , The sweet Lilt of our Beloved Msr. McGowan singing him home..here at home
I will show it again to Mom,
She is here at home too
away for the moment, the Cancer is greedy and insatiable, and will not wait the tide to come
this is her Hospice.
she will hold this old relic also
and when the Gentle Angel comes soon to take her
She will be home with her companion, Husband, Friend of 57 Years at last,

I will carry this old flint on the Camino
till upon the foot of the Cross I will bear
some little bit of memory
some tiny bit of tear

I will lay the stone to rest
as with my hands upon my breast
folded in the time worn Behest

Dear Lord
Thank you for My Life
The Road to Santiago
The paths of all my Life
And the Life upon my Paths.

That is where I will to be... in Gods Time
sadness overtakes me now.

My Blessing to all the Pilgrim
Past, today and Future

May your burden be left aside the Path Before you
May your sorrow find respite
May your anger fade to ember, to spark, to ash
May there always be the road, to where God may take your load
May you find green Pasture , under the Shepherd's crook
May there be peace in time of sorrow
May there be grace upon your wearied head
I pray that Faith , Hope and Love
will carry you round the Bend
Be Blessed.
Peace
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Sorry if this is long....

The stone I left was a sandstone that was shaped like a heart just by chance. I got it from one of my potted window plants in my house in Pittsburgh in the USA. However, this stone was for some reason just on the sill of my window for God-knows how long -not inside the potted plant, so when I started thinking that I needed to bring a stone to leave behind for my trip, this heart-shaped stone beckoned me.

3 weeks before I left for my camino I had a bike crash where I blacked-out and had a mild concussion, vestibular dystrophy, and a miriad of bruises and scratches. My doctors advised me to not-bike the camino since if I fell off again or hit my head, it could be pretty bad -even fatal. So I was thinking that I could just try and hike what I could during my trip since plane tickets were bought and all. However, since I already had everything planned to be done by bike too, when I got to Leon I decided to bike anyway and take it easy, day by day, since I still felt that this was also a test of-sorts from God.

So... I biked for 6 days, and I prayed so much, rosary after rosary, credo after credo, to please make it at the end of each day, and eventually to Santiago. When I was in Rabanal del Camino I chatted with a nice local, named Paco, who showed me how properly pour cider in my glass. I shared with him some of my story and tribulations, and he said that once I finished my climb on bike the "Cruz de Fierro" awaited me, and that I should leave my stone there, and along with it my anxiety and tribulations. He seemed so excited for me! So I did... :)

After that I felt better about my journey, but still prayed for me (as well as for my family, parents, sidings, Godson. friends, the deceased). I was still watchful of my bike riding and overall physical being, and didn't felt at peace until I got to "Monte de Gozo" and could see Santiago off the distance. Overall I biked 309Kms in 6 days, arriving to Santiago August 7. Now I'm home, back to work, following up with my doctors, and still not feeling a 100% from my accident (it will take some time still and I need to be patient). However, I do-feel like part of my soul & heart, as sandstone, is up in that mountain, as a piece of myself that I brought to God as a promise/offer, that he will keep his eye-on, and I on him :)

ImageUploadedByCamino de Santiago Forum1408351609.463521.jpgImageUploadedByCamino de Santiago Forum1408350203.763264.jpg
 
My stone and my prayer are personnel and it has bothered me to see people standing on the prayers of millions of pilgrims.

Why must people insist on standing on all those prayers?
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Have to agree with Jenny (and many others) a great thread. I now know from where my stone(s) will come: 1 from the highest point in Oz - Mt Kosciuszko - but as its snow covered until late Dec early Jan (our summer) will have to schedule a short hike; 2 will come from the farm, land that was once my great-grandfathers. Although its no longer in the family we usually get back there in Nov each year.
(Yesterday I watched - for the 3rd,4th,5th time The Way and then the discussion/review of the Camino film - with Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez/David Alexanian - the seen with the Cruz de Ferro was very emotional for all the cast.) A very special Buen Camino to all:):D:rolleyes:;)
 
One last though on this
I have wondered on the Geology
the strata of the stones placed there

how many generations of Pilgrims does it mark, if not for the seasons, the years,
if not those, the decades, the centuries and the millenia?

When i get there with Gods Grace , reverently, i will place my contribution at the foot of the Cruz...
I will be standing on the shoulders of all those who've come before, all the hopes, Prayers, questions ,
in good company, my little flint will join the inumerous others in silent and solid vigil, enabling in its small way, for the next Peregrino to be a little closer to an answer

i wonder then, when Guacelmo placed the Cruz ,would he have wondered what would become of it...
Peace
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Six thousand years ago Mt Mazama in Oregon blew up. The 12,000 foot stratovolcano was reduced to a 7000 foot caldera, with a 2000 foot deep lake in the middle. A layer of ash and pumice covered over 500,000 sq mi including nearly all of Oregon,Washington, northern California,Idaho, westernMontana, and parts ofUtah,Nevada,Wyoming,Alberta,British Columbia, andSaskatchewan.

Pumice is the perfect rock for carrying on a pilgrimage, so light that it floats. I picked up a piece and stuck it in the bottom of my bag. Now it is part of that weird and wonderful rock pile.

Word of Warning to Pilgrims from Hawaii and pilgrims that decide to take a piece of lava rock (pumice) from Hawaii to place at the foot of the Cruz...
Pele, goddess of Fire, put a curse on anyone taking a lava rock from the islands. Now, I don't believe in curses, not island goddesses; but I sure am not going to tempt the Fates.
Buen "leave that stone unturned" Camino,
Arn
 
I carried a stone from the mountains near where I grew up in Virginia. My wife carried a stone from the Basque region, from near Donostia, the place we hope to retire to someday. My then one year old son carried a stone from the Mississippi River, about 100 yards from our house in New Orleans. My mother carried, instead of a stone, a buckeye nut.....representative of the state she was raised in, Ohio.
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
I did not carry a stone in 2012 when I walked, which was fine at the time. This year I will be bringing a beautiful scallop shell I found on a beach in New Zealand in November last year. On it I will write all the things I am leaving behind once I place it down at the Cruz, the things I have held onto since that beach that have been weighing me down all year, the things I need I let go of. It may not be a huge meaningful thing compared to some pf the beautiful stories on here, but it is what I need.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
...I have wondered on the Geology
the strata of the stones placed there

how many generations of Pilgrims does it mark, if not for the seasons, the years,
if not those, the decades, the centuries and the millenia?...

I read that the Cruz de Ferro was actually relocated closer to road a few years ago, which would indicate that the mound at its base may not be composed entirely of stones left by pilgrims. Perhaps someone will verify this.
 
I read that the Cruz de Ferro was actually relocated closer to road a few years ago, which would indicate that the mound at its base may not be composed entirely of stones left by pilgrims. Perhaps someone will verify this.
I kind of wondered that too, as there seems to be a lot more than rocks filling the base
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Far and away from the Petty strivings, the insatiable vanities and incessant egos of the world out side..
striding, padding slowly among the ages, with innumerable pilgrims at your side
torn down
worn down
and given to sorrows they walk

each and every sorrow a burden of grief
each and every step a penance
each and every stone a prayer
each and every breath a plea for peace

Hermit Guacelmo, quiet and contemplative
did you drop the first stone?

Peregrino Passing by...
did you leave burden behind
cast that drowning stone... aside and surface to the light?
or do you carry still, the weight with all your might...

it is for you
the answer

Stranger Passing by
Faithful to some law inside
did you stop and throw the veil aside?

do you wear Pilgrim...
the roads and miles inside
etched upon skin by time and tide
and read in downcast eyes...

the Road abides
it has its time

I must be forgiven i admit
i read the posts over again, the stories woke the muse
and to write is to pay her piper
Peace
 
The 4 little rocks in the center of the photo are mine. The blueish one, the tan one, and the gray one are rocks I picked up here at home during the summer of 2013. The black one with the white stripe is one I found in Spain. I happened to look down and thought, "This is a rock for the Cruz!"

I didn't really have much of a moment at the Cruz. I thought it was nice that God decided to stop the rain for 15 minutes so I could get a few pictures. But the rain came back, so I started making my way down the hill. Or rather, the series of downs and ups that make up the decent from the Cruz. I can't explain why, but I just felt light afterwards. Physically, I mean. I felt lighter. I was practically running on some parts. I am the slowest walking pilgrim in the history of the Camino, but that day, I was passing people. I didn't get tired and it didn't feel I was exerting myself.

But I never got that feeling of lightness again on the Camino. I guess it was a one time thing.
 

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The 4 little rocks in the center of the photo are mine. The blueish one, the tan one, and the gray one are rocks I picked up here at home during the summer of 2013. The black one with the white stripe is one I found in Spain. I happened to look down and thought, "This is a rock for the Cruz!"

I didn't really have much of a moment at the Cruz. I thought it was nice that God decided to stop the rain for 15 minutes so I could get a few pictures. But the rain came back, so I started making my way down the hill. Or rather, the series of downs and ups that make up the decent from the Cruz. I can't explain why, but I just felt light afterwards. Physically, I mean. I felt lighter. I was practically running on some parts. I am the slowest walking pilgrim in the history of the Camino, but that day, I was passing people. I didn't get tired and it didn't feel I was exerting myself.

But I never got that feeling of lightness again on the Camino. I guess it was a one time thing.

It is the Freedom
the lightness of being whole and complete again
its a glimpse of eternity and of the ever present "now"
It will always be inside you. you had a taste...
the well spring of hope , never runs dry
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Word of Warning to Pilgrims from Hawaii and pilgrims that decide to take a piece of lava rock (pumice) from Hawaii to place at the foot of the Cruz...
Pele, goddess of Fire, put a curse on anyone taking a lava rock from the islands. Now, I don't believe in curses, not island goddesses; but I sure am not going to tempt the Fates.
Buen "leave that stone unturned" Camino,
Arn
As the resident geologist, I ought to comment. There isn't much pumice in Hawaii, as the silica rich magmas required for a good pumice are rare in oceanic volcanics. There are some pretty light cinders that might be tempting.

I have some nice samples from Maui with wonderful big olivine and garnet crystals sitting right here on my desk, and the goddess has yet to bother me......ackk ughh. aaaaaaaaaa! thud.
 
Newfydog - why is that? (lack of silica rich magmas required in oceanic volcanics) - does this change from area to area - thinking of Easter Island here - or is it to do with sea pressure on eruptions? ... or?
signed,
fascinated of Weston
 
One of my stones was a unpolished "tiger eye" from the Northern Cape Province, South Africa with the names of my son and daughter-in law. The other stone was a brown hard round pebble like stone from a farm near Thabazimbi, South Africa with the names of my daughter and son-law and I also placed a sea shell from McDougallsbay, South Africa with my husband's name.

On a lighter note: Me and my friend, Frieda also from South Africa who I met on the Camino was joking about our heavy back packs, saying we are sure somebody is putting their stones in our packs and one morning when packing up my belongings there really was a stone in my bag that did not belong to me and when I show it to Frieda the lady on the top bed was jumping for joy because she thought she lost it but it just drop from her bed into my back pack.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I live on a river flood plain. No rock exposures round here locally, but for my first camino in 2012 I wanted to carry a stone representative of where I come from. The solution was right before my eyes. A Woolworths supermarket had recently been built in town, and on the median dividers in the carparl, they deposited big boulders of beautiful granite from a quarry inland. This was nice stuff, 2 billion years old. Perfect. So I went down there late at night when it was deserted, hammer at the ready. Knocking a chip off a fresh granite boulder with a claw hammer ain't easy, let me tell you. I was thinking, if the police drive by now how the hell am I going to explain this.
Well, it's there at Cruz now, and could be the oldest piece of rock on the pile.
 
I just picked up a rock and hucked it onto the heap ... same as I do with any hilltop cairn.
 
I can honestly say that i have been so touched by reading what you all have written! VERY POWERFUL stories, WOW!
I have my own personal story, but no stone that represents it. I am not sure what I will bring this September with me, but I do know who I will pray for and honour.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I just picked up a rock and hucked it onto the heap ... same as I do with any hilltop cairn.
The word "huck" was a new one to me. I was curious and looked it up. Sure enough it predictably means throw or toss, but definition No 3 amused me...... To cross an obstacle while executing a stunt. Hmmmm.
 
My annual Camino is in memory of my lost daughter. I am fortunate enough to be able to ask someone to send me a small volcanic stone from her hometown in Bend, Oregon every year. Two years ago I also left her small gold crucifix posted on the column. Beside lighting a candle for her in St. Jean Pied de Port periodically. I also do the same thing in the cathedral in Bayonne which was the last church she visited while she was alive and I'm convinced her spirit resides there.
This is a tried and true thread but I thought I should add my donation at the Cruz de Ferro in 2014.DSCN0242.JPG
Angela Finnigan and I celebrated mass last Sunday in Bayonne and I had a very nice visit with my daughter.
 
I have come late to this post having just found it today,even later now having read all the posts,many bringing tears to my eyes.On one of my visits back to my homeland in Ireland,I was paying my respects at my fathers grave in a cemetery overlooking the lakes of Killarney,I collected some small stones off the grave to take on Camino.A lady at a nearby grave told me she had known my Dad and as we talked and I told her about Cruz Del Ferro.She had recently lost her husband,and said he had died of a broken heart,a year after their 16 year old daughter had passed away.They were laid to rest side by side,sand taking some pebbles from their grave she asked me to take them as well.,Just before I left for Spain,a young woman I had trained to do my job before I retired got in touch.She gave me a little golden Angel and said it would protect me on my journey,and I must leave it at C.D.F. where no one would find it as it carried a special message from her to God,and He would know it was there.The morning I got to C.D.F. I went around the side ,and weeping tears of many emotions I laid my stones and the Angel under many more.I knelt there for ages ,thinking of all those who had passed on,all those I left at home and all those who are remembered there.I think this ,of all places on the Camino is what draws me back.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
AMBER from the Baltic sea is sitting in my backpack waiting to be placed by the Cruz. As there are not so many people from my country going the Camino, then this piece will be for everybody: myself, my family, relatives, friends, neighbours, acquaintances, people I don't know and never will, just everybody, including the government :p. Not writing anything on it, its too small for the volumes that should be written.
 
AMBER from the Baltic sea is sitting in my backpack waiting to be placed by the Cruz. As there are not so many people from my country going the Camino, then this piece will be for everybody: myself, my family, relatives, friends, neighbours, acquaintances, people I don't know and never will, just everybody, including the government :p. Not writing anything on it, its too small for the volumes that should be written.

Well, I found few ambers today from Baltic Sea near Gdańsk (Sobieszewska Island) :) I'll take one to Cruz de Ferro.
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
After my wife was killed, I moved to my current city because I was badly injured and could not care for myself or our two children without help from my parents. My children were 3 yrs and 6 months old. When I recovered, the kids and I would go to have lunch at a nearby Dairy Queen restaurant and my son and daughter would play some games and have ice cream while I watched them. Even at that time, I valued those wonderful moments because I knew they are fleeting. My children are well and have since grown to adulthood. Last year, the Dairy Queen was torn down and the site bladed. From the remnants of what was once there, I recovered a small piece of the tile that was once the floor of the dining area. Though it is not a stone, that tile chip will be my contribution to the cairn at Cruz de Ferro, in remembrance of my dear departed wife, in honor of our children, and as an expression of humility and thanks to God for granting me time and strength to be a loving father for all of these years.
 
I walked the Camino France's for the second time in July of 2014. When I got to the cross, there was a crowd of bicyclists taking pictures of one another with the cross as a backdrop. The noise and lack of privacy caused me to wander over to a picnic table and wait until they had left. Then I went over, climbed to the top of the rocks, faced away from the cross and threw a tiny pebble I had carried from a beach in Nanaimo, BC, over my shoulder. I had no expectations of this becoming a spiritual experience but what happened next made it one. I went back, sat on the picnic table and just gazed at the cross. Soon the wind kicked up and dust devils appeared, circling their way upward from the base of the cross. It felt to me that the prayers were making their way to God.
 
I walked the Camino France's for the second time in July of 2014. When I got to the cross, there was a crowd of bicyclists taking pictures of one another with the cross as a backdrop. The noise and lack of privacy caused me to wander over to a picnic table and wait until they had left. Then I went over, climbed to the top of the rocks, faced away from the cross and threw a tiny pebble I had carried from a beach in Nanaimo, BC, over my shoulder. I had no expectations of this becoming a spiritual experience but what happened next made it one. I went back, sat on the picnic table and just gazed at the cross. Soon the wind kicked up and dust devils appeared, circling their way upward from the base of the cross. It felt to me that the prayers were making their way to God.
Caminobd, that is a beautiful, spiritual thought, and why not? Messengers, swirling up all the hopes and prayers and delivering them to God. I used to work in old mining districts where there were often small groups of old miners cabins and buildings, the remains of regular, working communities, now still and empty. One morning, at sunrise in the Butte Highlands District in Montana, I watched as puffs of mist, people-sized, drifted silently up the slope, singly or in small groups from the creek and up into the groupings of cabins. That was a magical experience. So, who is to say what is and what isn't? Mooncat
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I walk to work 2 miles one way, in route I chose my granite stone from my valley carried here by Glaciers long ago. When I arrived at the cross I had been having the same nightmare dream for weeks. A soul tearing his face off with a silent scream. After praying & leaving my stone the dream stopped, I believe the soul was mine.
Now when walkng I pass the same pile of stone & feel that connection every time to the Camino, I pray there often. I truly believe that we are tied as souls to the very special ribbon of souls , known as the Camino Santiago.
Keith
 
A dear person know to me was killed in a traffic accidentt just the other day.
We always called him Father Morgan.
He came all the way from Ireland to be our spiritual guide
I called him friend.
I'll be carrying two stones to the Cruz now.
But Maybe on the way,i may be able to find my way to his graveside in Ireland and pay my repsects
Bless the wounded pilgrims.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Our church was shocked at the loss.
He was a good and Godly man
I am happy he is in heaven!
The amazing wonderfull people of the Emerald isle...
I wonder if ill see all the faces of those gone by tbe way.
I hope so.

I hope all the pilgrim folk find a modicum of rest when they get to the Iron Cross...
I hope they get up anew and renewed for the journey ahead,to Santiago,and then on toward home.
 
In 2008 on my first CF I carried 3 stones with me. 1 I found in my garden and two were given to me by my nieces.
My brother had died Aug 18 2008 and I was due to start my Camino on August 4. In fact I was called home by my wife while on a training walk in preparation for the Camino on the morning of the 18th.
I was not sure about continuing on with my plans after the funeral but was encouraged to do so by my sister in law and my 2 nieces.

I agreed to carry on and asked that both nieces provide me with a stone to leave on the Camino in memory of their dad, my brother

So I started out from SJPP with three stones. It was my intention to carry them to the iron cross. At a moment when I was feeling heavy with the loss of my brother and friend I stopped in my tracks and removed the stones from my pack. I placed them in a row where I was standing at the time. It was at the apex of the bridge in Puente la Reina. I said a prayer and nudged the three stones into the water below.
Now I have a special place to return to to remember a very special person.
Not all stones are meant to make it to the Cruz de ferro.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
In 2008 on my first CF I carried 3 stones with me. 1 I found in my garden and two were given to me by my nieces.
My brother had died Aug 18 2008 and I was due to start my Camino on August 4. In fact I was called home by my wife while on a training walk in preparation for the Camino on the morning of the 18th.
I was not sure about continuing on with my plans after the funeral but was encouraged to do so by my sister in law and my 2 nieces.

I agreed to carry on and asked that both nieces provide me with a stone to leave on the Camino in memory of their dad, my brother

So I started out from SJPP with three stones. It was my intention to carry them to the iron cross. At a moment when I was feeling heavy with the loss of my brother and friend I stopped in my tracks and removed the stones from my pack. I placed them in a row where I was standing at the time. It was at the apex of the bridge in Puente la Reina. I said a prayer and nudged the three stones into the water below.
Now I have a special place to return to to remember a very special person.
Not all stones are meant to make it to the Cruz de ferro.
That should have read that my brother died July 18th.
 
In the months before our Camino, I asked various members of our family to send/give us a small stone each for us to take to Cruz de Ferro. As we are a large family, scattered all over the world, placing the stones where we did helped us all to feel connected together. Only one stone was kept and I placed that in Santiago - it was from a niece who was ill and I hoped that by placing it by the Cathedral, our prayers for her would be answered.

The first thing that came to mind, Wayfarer, on reading of your stone shattering was that this symbolized the separateness, yet connection (by still being in the same place), of your family. Seen like that you realize the strength of family, which is made up of individuals while still connected spiritually.
 
I brought 3 little stones from 3 separate individuals who were diagnosed with cancer to my first 2012 Camino. At that time, they were facing very difficult decisions in life. Even though I am not very close to them or understand the situation, but I do understand the pain they and their families were going though as my family was touched by the illness too. By carrying 3 little stones to my Camino, I was carrying part of their sorrow and pain across the ocean and onto my journey across Spain. I unloaded the 3 stones when I got to the iron cross, their sorrow and pain were left on there, not coming back with me.

Three years later, the 3 individuals are all healthy and their cancer went into submission. Maybe it was the medical treatment, whatever the case, I am glad they are healthy and well.

Last year when I went back to the iron cross on my 3rd Camino, I simply said thanks to St. James.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
My son took a stone picked up from the beach outside our house. My mum (his nanna) painted it for him. It says 'Burra 2015 and is painted bright blue. He placed it on top of the Cruz de Ferro when he was there a few weeks ago. The stone is about three generations of us (my son, me and his grandmother) as well as our little beach town in Australia. It just fills me with so much joy to know where it is and how he carried it all that way from Australia and along the Camino.
What is the story of your stone?
 
That should have read that my brother died July 18th.
Sorry for the loss and thank u for sharing. I lost my brother 3 years ago and I quit my job and thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in the US and spread his ashes atop MT Katahdin at the finish. I saved a bit of his ashes for the Camino . Do you all think it's appropriate to use a bit of ashes instead of a stone?
Digger
 
Sorry for the loss and thank u for sharing. I lost my brother 3 years ago and I quit my job and thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in the US and spread his ashes atop MT Katahdin at the finish. I saved a bit of his ashes for the Camino . Do you all think it's appropriate to use a bit of ashes instead of a stone?
Digger

Don't be concerned about how others would feel about sharing your brother's ashes on the Camino; do what you feel led to do. It would be completely appropriate and you are free to do so.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Sorry for the loss and thank u for sharing. I lost my brother 3 years ago and I quit my job and thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in the US and spread his ashes atop MT Katahdin at the finish. I saved a bit of his ashes for the Camino . Do you all think it's appropriate to use a bit of ashes instead of a stone?
Digger
I think its very appropriate Digger, and I'm sorry for your loss.
 
Four years ago I lost my wife to cancer. I am planning on walking the Camino de Santiago this year, with a good friend, and the stone that I will be carrying to place at Cruz de Ferro is a cask of the void between my and and my Rachael's hand. It was created by my mother and I can not think of a better thing to leave there.
 

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This is a close up of the stone I brought and left at the Cruz de Ferro in 2016. I spent a lot of time thinking about the burdens I bear. They are not many. One that stood out was the burden that I bear as a Canadian citizen of accountability for the way our government and fellow citizens have treated our First Nations and indigenous Canadians. I got this rock at a powwow just before I left to represent that burden. I can't leave the burden behind so easily but acknowledging it is a first step. 55858
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Last year I carried a piece of Lapis lazuli, a blue stone, as I was walking for someone dear to me that suffers from depression and anxiety. I prayed that my pilgrimage could help to relieve some of the burden they carried daily and that they'd feel less blue.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.

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