A Boundless Interchange of Help
A Boundless Interchange of Help
by Hsuying C. Ward | Rancho Viejo, TX
Is the Camino magical? If it is magical, it is the magic of love and mercy that accompanied us throughout our way—a boundless interchange of help. We set out to walk the Camino Portugués in May 2023. I visited churches and enjoyed hymns and prayers while putting one foot in front of the other.
My husband and I reflected on our pasts and attempted to leave behind life’s drudgeries. We completed our walk and experienced a sense of accomplishment. After all, we did walk in good and bad weather and with blisters and calluses.
The magic of love and mercy flowed.
Upon leaving Santiago, at the bus terminal we realized we had left our passports and money behind at the hotel. By then, we had traveled on the city bus for over an hour and lingered in the bus terminal for another hour. We considered returning to the hotel, but there was no taxi around. We waited another 20 minutes, anxious and hopeless. I prayed for help.
A car full of passengers drove up. With a sliver of hope, I asked the driver for help, and help he gave us—two strangers stranded in a foreign land! When we arrived back at the hotel, we found our purse in the corner of the hotel lobby. The man then drove us back to the bus terminal. On the drive, we found out he was helping those other passengers, too, so that they could catch the bus.
Manuel is his name. He refused to accept anything we could offer. He merely said, “Today, I help you, and tomorrow I may need help from someone somewhere.” We hugged as we bid goodbye.
On the bus ride home, I recalled a moment at our first albergue where the host Pedro asked for us to share our nationalities. Pedro then reminded us we were in this together, and how harmonious the world would be if we can break bread as humans regardless from where we hail.
A boundless interchange of help provides a foundation for pilgrims—Camino magic begets more Camino magic. My husband decided to continue his walk, for he said, “The Camino is not done with me, and I am not done with the Camino.” Buen Camino, Mi Amor. May you carry that magic with you.
