Rand and I celebrate anniversaries every single day. The anniversary of our first meeting. The anniversary of our saying goodbye in Leon. The anniversary of him surprising me at the airport in Philadelphia. The anniversary of this town and that meal and this laundromat experience and that gracious host.
But March 29th is a special anniversary. It's the day that we "got married" last year in a bar in a little town called Rabe de las Calzadas. Keld, from Denmark, served as our officiant. Simon, from England, served as best man. And Dirk, from Germany, stood up with me. We had just met these men earlier in the evening, but the depth of our conversations warranted inviting them into the sincerity of this experience.
It might seem silly. Like something school kids would do on the playground at recess. But the sacredness was in the commitment made that day, not in its formality or legality. And like any good marriage, our love was only just beginning and has grown more true, more deep, more real with each passing day.
In honor of our anniversary, we checked into a "7-star" hotel here in Portomarin. The water may run brown, and the heater may not work (but they did bring us a space heater!), and we may have two twin beds, but we're here together, in Spain, and there aren't enough stars to top that! And really, you can't beat the view from our balcony!
We decided to take a "rest day" and stay a second night here in the hotel where we've already made ourselves at home. To be honest, I was worried about being bored. And anxious to reach Santiago now that we have only 90 kilometers to go. We wonder what it will be like to arrive in the midst of Holy Week. But we also have to honor our bodies. The fact that we've walked 11 long days tells us a day off is necessary.
The day actually passed quickly with naps, work, food, watching other pilgrims come into town and Spanish game shows. And hopefully our bodies (and blisters!) will be gracious to us tomorrow when we walk.
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