Last week, I was getting ready to depart for my second Camino pilgrimage โ the Camino Portuguรฉs โ by walking the so-called Central Route from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela and then on to Finisterre, Spain, a place often referred to as โthe end of the worldโ.
I had spent months training for this trip with a combination of daily walks, swimming laps, and cycling up and down the NJ coastline and making sure that I had all the necessary equipment for the trip while confirming every detail of my 21-day itinerary.
My first Camino in September 2021 — the Camino Francรฉs — had been the most transformative experience of my life and I hoped that this pilgrimage could help me discern where God is calling me in this late chapter of my life as a husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend, coach, and bereavement counselor.
But sometimes life interrupts our plans as several pressing priorities emerged during my final week of preparation, responsibilities that needed my immediate attention.
And so, after much prayer, I postponed my pilgrimage until next May when circumstances are hopefully better.
As I mourned my change of plans, I found Godโs grace in a beautiful reflection penned by Emily Perl Kingsleyโs called โWelcome to Hollandโ.
In her essay, Kingsley compares having a child with a disability to planning an exciting trip to Italy โ you buy the guidebooks, learn the language, and dream of the gondolas and of course Michelangelo. But when the plane lands, the stewardess announces, โWelcome to Holland.โ
You didnโt plan to go Holland — itโs slower, quieter, and not what you expected. But after the initial shock and grief, you discover that Holland has its own beauty in the windmills, the tulips, and Rembrandts.
Yes, I had set my heart carefully planning my own version of โItalyโ โ in this case — my long-awaited Camino Portuguese pilgrimage.
But last Sunday during a long bike ride along the New Jersey shoreline, I stopped along the boardwalk in Long Branch and took this photo of the ocean and me.
This wasnโt the Camino I had planned but rather my own โWelcome to Hollandโ moment.
I smiled, saying to myself โWelcome to Long Branchโ, realizing that this precious time at home in NJ can be its own kind of spiritual pilgrimage for me — a chance to slow down, to listen more deeply, and to discern the next steps God is inviting me to take.
The Camino will still be there next May but for now, the path before me winds through all the familiar streets, quiet moments, and the many people Iโve been called to serve right here at home.
Remember that when your plans change, Godโs grace is still everywhere โ itโs on that boardwalk in Long Branch, NJ and yes, in Holland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain as well.
Wishing you all the gift of God’s abundant blessings, Dr. K
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