Honoring Generations

My parents took the same path to Santiago, el Camino Frances, in the year 2000.  My dad was 70yrs and mother was 60yrs old. They carried several things with them including the penultimate symbol of the Camino, a scallop shell.  I gather they picked up two on their local beach and boiled them, afterwards my father drilled a hole in each so that they can be fastened to a pack or hung around a neck. My mother rang a few days ago and asks if we would like their shells, and I feel honored to carry them, it will be their second journey.

They also carried a small copy of the New Testament.  It was my grandmother Rose's copy. She died young at only 49yrs old, when my dad was about 20, I'm not exactly sure how old he was. While on the Camino my parents read from the New Testament each night, inspiration and repetition being part of the walk.
As you can see, using the peg as reference, it is very small...about half the size of my cellphone
I was intrigued to find inside, tucked away, a souvenir from their trip in 2000.
Matt and I plan to repeat the process, reading a small passage each night for fortitude.  

By the time our camino is over three generations of my family will have completed a camino, and it makes my heart sing just a little to think that future generations may keep up this tradition.
Today's 4km walk was the usual, hot, windy weather 

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