Our She-roes Journey
Our She-roes Journey
by Joyce DeToni-Hill | St. George, UT
In 2022, I invited clergywomen to walk together as a pandemic respite. Like the characters in the film The Way, each articulated reasons for walking. But we discovered that the Camino gave us what we needed.
In Sarria, we shared apprehensions as I handed out shells and blessings. Ruth announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer just two days before, asking for space as she let it sink in. Jan confessed that she was nervous about her recently twisted knee. Gloria expressed concern that cancer treatments might hinder her ability to walk, even a mile.
But the Camino provides. Community began to form and to transform each life. The women naturally paired up by walking gaits. Jan and Gloria gently walked one another through injuries, allowing Jan to rest while waiting for Gloria to catch up. By week’s end, Gloria celebrated walking seven miles a day—a personal best.
Jan and Emilee, with their trail name “Speed Goats”, led the way, preparing pop-up picnics and dance parties for those following.
Sharon and Emily, declared that they would be present in each moment to discover spider webs and in-depth talks.
Meg had the most difficulty adapting, quietly admitting that the voice in her head told her she wasn’t fast or fit enough. At an evening debriefing in Melide, a smiling Meg blurted, “Did anyone find my drawers?” The underwear drying on her backpack had slipped off the safety pin. That became her turnaround moment allowing her to drop the need to hide her vulnerability and prove herself.
On the last day, as Sharon stood underneath the cathedral doors, looking at the reversed Alpha and Omega symbol, she remarked, “So our Camino lesson is, the end is our beginning?”
It was. Upon our return, our Camino family supported Jan through breast cancer; Gloria following the death of a family member; and Emilee through divorce and remarriage. Two weeks upon return, Sharon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
For three years our group journeyed with Sharon sending bouquets of Camino photos for her bedside, visiting, singing, and praying. Earlier this year, three of us attended and spoke at her memorial service. Emily, Sharon’s her walking partner, presided over the graveside interment.
We gathered as strangers. The Camino provided. Strangers became friends, accompanying one another on our shared journeys both on and off The Way.
