• David Steib for graduating from law school, finding a great job for next year, and gearing up for the Bar!
• Thomas Cluderay for finishing his first tough year of law school, and to Jason for seeing him through it.
• Dustin Cole for making a change that wasn´t easy but the right thing to do.
• Mom for walking in preparation for a holiday with me in London and Ireland, and for practice packing to make sure she´s disciplined. :)
• Marco Mendoza who enters more fully into his 30s on Monday. 
• My sisters for (almost) finishing another year of school.
• My grandfather for surviving a health scare and on his way to recovery!
  

Not much happened today, other than climbing down the mountain from O Cebreiro. The views were breathtaking, as was the cold morning air as we descended from 1500 meters. We passed village after village shrouded in mist, which makes the stone houses topped with broom roofs all the more intriguing and other worldly. While the scenery was not as exhilirating, the walk was lovely. And once again the weather turned out to prove all the pilgrim gossip wrong. We had sun or cloud cover, absent rain, the entire walking day.

Now in Triacastela I´m at a lovely private albergue with a washing machine, dryer, and a painfully slow internet connection. I also had a splendid dinner gratis courtesy of the Italians in our group, wine from the Kiwi, and good conversation from two Americans. In fact, one woman is from Florida, and her best friend is a kindergarten teacher at St. Mark´s in Fort Lauderdale, where I will teach next year.  Small world.

One week to Santiago now. I´m hoping and praying for a healthy and safe walk, in addition to a good rhythm for prayer and reflection. It´s easy to get caught up in the excitement of reaching the destination. At the same time, today I woke from a nap and thought to myself, "Well, all I have to do is have a hot chocolate, walk around town, pray at the church, and eat dinner." So I´m not sure how I´ll feel about returning to regular life.  Who wants to pass up what I get to experience each day?!  In all truth, I´m a tad nervous about reaching Santiago, a big city where friends along the way will slowly disappear to go their own way home, and I will make the journey back to a life I so meticulously planned to leave behind.

However, now is now, and the future is then. For now, I will walk for today only, as much as possible.