When you walk any Camino people say it’s filled with miracles. The catch is that you have to be open to see them. After we walked the Camino Frances from the French side of the Pyrenees to Santiago, Spain we had  experienced so many miracles both big and small that I became a believer that these same kind of miracles appear in our day to day lives. We don’t always see them because we’re often so distracted. When we left March 1 for our two month journey I set a goal for myself that I would be where my feet are, to stay in the moment and enjoy what’s in front of me. The joy of life is only in the moment, not in the past or the future. After three glorious weeks in New York, we flew to Edinburgh to visit our friends Suzanne and Moritz, who are spending a year there while Suzanne gets a master’s degree and Moritz works on a book he is writing. We walked, we talked, we laughed and we ate great food. We got a glimpse into their lives in Edinburgh and we had so much fun. On our last night we said goodbye and agreed to see each other when we are all back on Peaks Island. The next day we were taking the train to Paris. Moritz had an early flight to Maine to take care of some things at home. We arrived at the train station and went to a small coffee shop while we waited for our train. I looked up and there was Suzanne and Moritz. His flight had been canceled until the next day and they decided to go to the countryside. It was so nice to give and get a last hug. What are the chances that we would see them at that exact moment?  Coincidence?  I say not. Miracle? I say yes. Keep your eyes open and miracles will put themselves in front of you. 

Next, we spent six romantic days in the city of love, Paris. We walked everywhere and met up with friends we met when we lived in Budapest, Irna and Mark. We then headed to Lisbon for 5 days. The first three were filled with great food, walking tours and fun, and we were falling in love with the city. Then it happened!  I was pickpocketed, and sadly, I was holding Steve’s wallet in my backpack. That’s what the thieves took.  It wasn’t until the next day that we realized what had happened and we abandoned our plans of enjoying a day in Sintra, a lovely town about an hour away. We quickly moved into problem solving.  We canceled all the credit and debit cards in his wallet.  Luckily, I had a credit card and a debit card in my name only, so we were set.  Then we began the search for the tourist police station to report the robbery since you can’t go to the American embassy without filing a police report. By the end of the day we left the American embassy with Steve’s emergency passport in hand.  A big miracle. One we worked hard to obtain.

Off we went the next day, by train, to Porto.  We arrived and went to our hotel.  “Passport please,” the clerk at the front desk said.  I reached into my purse and my heart sank.  NO WALLET!!!!!! How could this be happening?  I know I wasn’t pickpocketed because I had the wallet in a small front pack slung across my body. It was filled with my wallet containing my passport, my phone, and the ever popular, red lipstick that I don’t leave home without. It must have fallen out. But where?  We searched everything we had, but no wallet.  The two clerks at the front desk immediately called the train station with the information about which train we had come on and even which seats we were in.  There was nothing more we could do. I felt sick to my stomach.  What are the chances that this would happen twice?  There are no American embassies between Porto and Santiago-the closest being in Madrid, where we will be flying home from. Panic began to set in. Then I felt embarrassed, shame and stupidity.  I went over in my head a thousand times where I could have lost the wallet.  Then I remembered my goal of being where my feet are and I started to recite the serenity prayer to myself and just let go and move on.  While we were brainstorming, I decided to call our congresswoman, Chellie Pingree, and ask for some Maine help.  They were lovely and offered to help out in any way they could but nothing could be done until I arrived in Madrid. 

So there I was, no passport, trying to face the here and now, staying in the moment. It always sounds like such a great idea when everything is going great.

The challenge was on.  I asked the Gods, whoever they may be, to reunite me with my passport.  You don’t need a passport to walk from Portugal to Spain. I let go.

We toured this wonderful city, Porto, ate great food, drank wonderful wine and last night, when we got back from a day of walking the city, our hotel room phone rang, and the woman at the front desk said the train station had called and they found my wallet.  A HUGE miracle!!!!  I was reunited with my wallet this morning, with everything in it, including 50 euros that I didn’t even remember having. 

When we walked back from the train station we passed a street performer with a sign in front of him that said:

“Listen… LOVE, love all and focus on the present moment…nothing else.  Be quiet. You are what you search for.”

We leave on Sunday to start out on a 2 week walk and I will stay open to all the miracles that come my way.

I hope your day is filled with miracles.

With love and gratitude,

Marsha