rioja routard
Active Member
One day, on phoning my sisiter Elizabeth from a call box in San Juan de Vega couple of miles from the town of Astorga I found a pilgrim’s stick which someone had lost. These sticks become like friends to the pilgrim and they carve them with the names of places they’ve passed through. The stick I held was well carved and obviously well-used. I felt so sad for the person who’d lost it that I took it with me and asked everyone at the St Javier Hostel in Astorga if they’d lost a stick or knew of anyone who had. I took the stick with me to the Cathedral and prayed and then set out for Astorga’s other hostel to Astorga Cathedral
continue the search. On the way, I passed and felt drawn into a beautiful church, St Bartholomew’s, and prayed for some time. As I walked out and was looking at some Roman mosaics a young woman ran up to me in tears; here, at last was the owner of the stick; Maria-Carmen from Albacete. She had been in tears all day. I told her that, if anything was, here was proof of the power of prayer. It was just as significant for me to return to stick as it was important for her to have it returned to her. We both celebrated the remarkable reunion in a nearby bar toasting the event with cold refreshing ‘San Miguel’ beer.
continue the search. On the way, I passed and felt drawn into a beautiful church, St Bartholomew’s, and prayed for some time. As I walked out and was looking at some Roman mosaics a young woman ran up to me in tears; here, at last was the owner of the stick; Maria-Carmen from Albacete. She had been in tears all day. I told her that, if anything was, here was proof of the power of prayer. It was just as significant for me to return to stick as it was important for her to have it returned to her. We both celebrated the remarkable reunion in a nearby bar toasting the event with cold refreshing ‘San Miguel’ beer.
