Leaving France, it winds its way up and over the Pyrennes and into northern Spain. It meanders up hills, through wheat fields and vineyards, alongside hedgerows filled with blackberries. It crosses the flat plains of the Spanish meseta with its huge, open skies, then heads for ancient Galicia, land of soft rains and eucalyptus forests.

The ancient pilgrimage route known as the Camino Frances stretches approximately 800 kilometres from St. Jean Pied de Port to the Gallicean city of Santiago de Compostela, the legendary resting place of the body of the apostle St. James. Millions upon millions have trod this stoney path since the saint's body was miraculously discovered in the 9th century. Then as now, it is a magical journey, filled with friendship, selflessness and joy.

Nowadays, more than 60,000 people a year complete at least part of the ancient pilgrim route and do so for a variety of reasons, ranging from a love of fresh air and exercise to religious conviction, from need for companionship to a need for solitude. There are no barriers on this miniature life journey; everyone is welcome, no one is disbarred. The more you invest in the Camino, the more it gives back. Some find love, consolation, spiritual peace. Few would disagree that the journey is life-changing.

Sue Kenney, a 45-year-old competitive rower, businesswoman and mother of three, made the journey alone, in late fall/early winter of 2001, a month or so after I completed my first pilgrimage. All pilgrimages are the same, all are different.

This is her story. -- Robert Crew

Sue's CD ... Stone by Stone

Inspirational stories of a woman’s journey to self love.
"It is said that everyone has a love affair on the Camino. I walked alone for 29 days. In the mystical region of Galicia, I met a friendly pilgrim. That evening we laughed and shared stories of our journey on the pilgrimage, Leaving me with the feeling I had been reunited with a very dear old friend. The following day we walked together often pausing to admire the mighty mountains. The early morning air stood motionless that day and the clouds hung low. All of a sudden there was a spark of love that ignited a warm golden sensation in my heart, enrapturing my entire body. Immediately, I redirected the love away from me toward the pilgrim. Like a mirror he reflected the love back to me indelibly marking the beginning of two love affairs; one with a romantic pilgrim and one with myself."

In 2001 Sue made a commitment to herself to gain clarity about her purpose in life and her desire to learn the art of self love. Sue released a CD of inspirational stories about her experiences and the lessons from the people she meets along the way sharing her stories with the grace of a humble pilgrim, she imparts the secrets of her journey to self love.

Stories
1. Prelude to a journey 4:49
2. Early lessons 7:35
3. The art of self love 3:37
4. Bernie: A legendary dog of the Camino2:35
5. Stone by Stone 2:39
6. Pilgrim’s Blessing 2:34
7. My Miracle on Cebreiro 7:20
8. The Camino ends as the journey begins 5:00

Written, produced and narrated by Sue Kenney
Music courtesy of Gary Diggins
Mixed by Sue Kenney and David Prentice
Cover painting and graphic design by Audrey Smith
Produced by Rosy Dragon Productions
All rights reserved 2003
Made in Canada
Price $15.00 CAD $10.00 US
To order a CD click here

With gratitude, a donation from the sale of each CD will be made to support the maintenance of the refugios on the Camino. Warmest thanks to Andreas Laus, Audrey Smith, Gary Diggins, my family, friends and all the pilgrims who have touched my life for their love and inspiration. These stories are dedicated to my daughters Tara, Meghan and Simone with my love. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. www.suekenney.ca

My Miracle on Cebreiro
When I started the pilgrimage, I had written in my diary that I wanted to accomplish two things on the Camino, besides the fact that I was walking 780 kms alone. I had just been made redundant at a large corporate IT company, and walked out the door with a package. I had been researching the Camino and decided that I should take the opportunity to go for a long walk, while I could. I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to be alone and to have a spiritual journey.

At 45 years of age, I had a strong desire to find my purpose in life. To gain an understanding of myself and what I could contribute to the world at large, to the universe. Having spent 20 years in a marriage that broke up, with 3 teen aged daughters, over 20 years in the telecom industry along with other significant life events, I had lost the sense of who I was as a person and as a woman. I think it is affectionately called mid-life crisis!

Secondly, I wanted to have a love affair with myself. Really, I didn't know how to love myself, feeling that I had given so much love away to others, I didn't have any left for myself.

Each day on the Camino, I would practice what it might be like to love myself. I would walk tall, opening my heart to the love of the universe. I would pretend that I loved myself imagining how one might look after themselves, if they were in love. When I met people, I tried to take their love to make it a part of me or sometimes I would do nothing, just to be aware of noticing love.

Then I would stop and admire the scenery along the way, again taking love from nature and the surroundings. Soon this became a discipline I focussed on all the time; to move from taking love to becoming love. Over a period of 24 days I continued this practice each morning as I started each day walking alone.

When I was in Los Arcos, around the 5th day of walking, I went out for dinner in the evening with a group of pilgrims. That day I had noticed piles of stones, or rock cairns along the way. I added stones to the pile not knowing why, but wanting to be a part of this ritual. During dinner, I asked if anyone knew why there were stone piles or rock cairns along the roadside. It was the German pilgrim who told me his version of the story of the "sorrow stones". He said that if you pick up a stone and then put some of your sorrow into the stone, when you place it down you will leave your sorrow behind. Well, this idea started a new chapter in my pilgrimage. I had to make room in my heart for love and soon learned that if I could leave some of my sorrow behind, I could create more space for love. Near the end of the pilgrimage, I really wondered to myself if I had any sorrow left at all. Everyday I left sorrow behind but not just my own sorrow, I left my children's sorrow, my mother's, my sisters and many friends sorrow on the Camino. When I met pilgrims along the way who told me of their sorrow, I would secretly pick up a stone for them and leave their sorrow behind as well. It was my gift to them. Long after I returned home from Santiago, I fully realized the power of leaving sorrow behind to open oneself for love and compassion.

On the 24th day, in Villa Franca I met up with the German pilgrim again. We talked all evening sharing stories of our experiences. It was through the conversation with him that I realized that I had in fact found my purpose in life: to inspire others to think differently about their lives, to be more loving. The next day we walked up the mountain O'Cebreiro, finishing the grueling climb at 7:30PM at night in darkness. Little did I know that it would be the following day that I was to experience the profound outcome of the discipline of learning self love.

Again, I walked with the German pilgrim that day which was unusual for me because I preferred to walk alone. Often we would stop and admire the mighty mountains of Galicia.. It was now mid day and I had been practicing self love all morning, even as we talked. Once again, we stopped to take in the view of the mountains, this time my body was physically stirred. As I stood there with my heart open, all the love of the universe came to me in a rush. I called out with a pained moan and almost fell over, my knees buckling against the power of this love. I became afraid and in my fear quickly decided to get rid of the love in an effort to gain control. So, I moved the love away from me passing it to the closest person, the only person there, the German pilgrim. Almost instantly it came back to me with the same force. This time, although in fear, I surrendered to the Camino and it's ways. At that moment, I openly accepted this love and to my surprise, instead of becoming weaker because I gave in or surrendered, I became filled with absolute love and incredible inner strength. It was like a beam of light breaking through darkness.

Through this experience I discovered that for most of my life I had tried to give love and then take it back, as two distinct actions. What I learned on Cebriero is that love is flowing, constantly alive throughout the universe; not something to give and take. I also learned that I became love through surrender. I learned that I am love and I love myself.

I am forever grateful for "my miracle" on Cebriero.
Sue Kenney, a Canadian pilgrim

The Journey Home

When I returned from Spain in December 2001, I came back to my life in the city of Toronto. I found integrating the lessons of the Camino very difficult in this environment because of all the distractions and focus on material things. 6 months later, 2 of my daughters had moved in with their dad and my oldest daughter was at University in London, so I decided to move to my cottage in Floral Park on Lake Couchiching. I spent most of the winter alone writing workshops, poetry, fairy tales and stories about my life experiences. Up until this point in my life, I have never been a writer but I took a Creative Writing workshop at Ryerson, Learned the basics and developed a style from there. I tried to write a book from my diary of the Camino, but couldn't get the story down the way I wanted it.

Recognizing my medium is my voice, I found a recording studio at Spadina and Queen and a professional who would work with me, since I had never even been In a studio or recorded before. After some struggles disconnecting the behaviour of reacting to the feedback I normally received from an audience and finally surrendered to myself, to my purpose of inspiring people. By removing all judgment, dropping all expectations for the outcome, I just started telling my stories from my soul to another's soul, communicating from the heart above the heart. The outcome is a moving storytelling CD with inspirational anecdotes about the people and experiences I encountered on my journey called Stone by Stone... inspirational stories about a woman's journey to self love. Gray Diggins, a Toronto musician has provided the music for the CD which is a healing energy music, a perfect combination to my stories of inspiration. Proceeds from the sale of each CD will go back to contribute to the maintenance of the hostels that house the pilgrims on the Camino.

My purpose in life is to inspire people in some way so they can experience more love in every aspect. Every day I inspire people in some fashion, through the constant discipline of surrendering to universal love, to being love, giving love and receiving love. My life has changed considerably, as I live my purpose in everything that I do.