Time to give thanks

Hello all,

I´ve made it!! To Santiago that is!! Only took 31 days! Walking for 5 to 8 hours a day certainly takes it out of you. I am TIRED! but it´s been great. I will be "publishing" my memoirs of a pilgrim in 4 parts over the next couple of weeks. For me, the walk is not actually over as I am continuing to Finisterre which used to be the end of the world. They believed it was the end of the world, or at least the furthest part you could walk to. A symbol of the Road is a shell and I was told in the first few days that originally you would walk to finisterre to find your shell. Nowadays most people just buy it. It seems appropriate to me and my love of the ocean that my walk should finish at the ocean.

I have learnt many things on this Road. They say that you do this Road when their is a big change in your life. I have wanted for a while now to settle down and start a family but the Road has shown me that I am not ready. My travelling in the past has helped me find who I am and to love myself as I am. However, I am now incredibly independant and not used to working in a group. I walked in a group for the whole Road and it was not easy, but very worthwhile.

I was thinking of giving up travelling soonish, but I will not. I will go back to Africa, work etc, travel back through europe and then go to central/south america as I always wanted to. For me I think the change in my life is that now the lessons I learn will be the ones I need to know so that when I do settle down, I can do so easily and happily. After all it is a big change to go from a worldwide traveller to a homebody! And I will really make the most of the freedom I have to travel now, because when I have a family my choices will lie elsewhere.

Today I went to the cathedral with the 2 remaining members of my group to give thanks to St. James for the Road to Santiago. I think it is only appropriate that now I give thanks to all of you, for all of the support that you give and have given to me over the years in my pursuit of life. I think all of you would be surprised how much even the smallest words mean to me - so often coming at a time when I really need to hear them, when I think it is too hard to live the way I do.

I love and value you all. Thank you so much for being part of my life and my friend.
Kathryn xx