“Now shall I walk
– W.H. Davies
Or shall I ride?”
“Ride,” Pleasure said.
“Walk,” Joy replied.
This is a question I now ask myself daily.
Of course, I live in the middle of nowhere, so the need to actually get groceries or visit a friend or go to church is accompanied by the need to drive. Yet I, someone who has always hated the mundane monotony of walking, now wish I could do nothing but walk.
Recently, a new friend (originally from Peru but now living in Madrid) said to me, “You Americans, you drive everywhere! You drive to go two blocks down the street when you could just walk!”
Honestly, I had never thought about that before. I had also never really thought about the fact the Eastern Shore of Maryland makes a pancake look more like a bagel. We are completely, 100% flat. Flatter than flat. Our only hills are speed bumps. You would think that would be a good thing for walking, but that’s not necessarily so.
“Tranquil Tedium”
American journalist and author, Bill Bryson, refers to walking as “tranquil tedium.” Until recently, I would have agreed with him.
What changed? To put it simply, I found My Way.
During the pandemic, our family started walking. We walked a lot. We often walked five miles a day, to the delight of our lab! I love walking with my family. My girls and I have had some wonderful conversations while walking. My husband and I have long conversations we probably would not take the time to have at home during the course of our busy lives. However, I have discovered that I really hate the act of walking itself. Or I thought I did.
While I do enjoy the tranquility of walking, it’s the tedium that always got to me. The same roads, the same houses with the same barking dogs, the same yards and creeks and trees and sky. It’s always the same. True, every once in a while I would stop to watch a Great Blue Heron take flight or a herd of deer standing in a grassy field. But more often than not, it was the same old same old.
But during those long walks we started taking in 2020, an idea began to take hold. If I could walk five miles a day easily, what about ten or fifteen? Could I push myself to do it day after day, rain or shine, in a country halfway around the world? Could I follow the footsteps of St. James and repeat his walk across Spain when he carried the Good News from village to village in his quest to take the story of Salvation to the literal end of the world as they knew it?
Slowly, the idea took hold until I found myself, in the spring of 2022, talking to my pastor about leading a group of pilgrims on El Camino de Santiago. A dear friend of mine, hearing of our plans, pulled me aside one day and said, “Amy, if you are going to lead pilgrims on the Camino, you need to walk it yourself, for yourself, first.” Instinctively, I knew she was right. Thank you, Millie.
My friend, Angie, and I had been talking about doing this for a while, but I’m not sure we were ever serious. It always seemed like such a high ideal, something we could talk about but probably not actually do. When I approached her with the idea of going together, she didn’t hesitate. Her husband, Chris, said he wanted to go, too, and so we began planning. For over a year, I tried to force myself to enjoy the tranquil tedium of walking, but as we got closer (and everything was paid for), I began having second thoughts.
“I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”
– Soren Kierkegaard
Though Kierkegaard could walk away from his burdens, I found myself burdened with doubts that I was about to walk right into. Literally.
Was I too old? My husband argued, of course not. Was I too out of shape? My daughter said, “You’re in the best shape of your life and better than many your age.” Was I prepared? I’ve spent the last several summers climbing Colorado Fourteeners for fun. Certainly I was prepared. Or so I thought.
A Single Step
Many have heard Lao Tzu’s advice for success, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In my case, it was a journey of just over 200 kilometers, but it might as well have been a thousand miles. At least that’s how I felt after the first day.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu
We chose to begin our walk in Ponferrada, a beautiful city in the León community of the region of El Bierzo. Nobody warned us that this region in the foothills of the Pyrenees was still pretty mountainous, more like thigh-hills, my husband suggested later. The first day’s walk was 18+ miles of ups and downs – very tall, very steep ups and downs! It was not easy, but it was breathtaking. We found ourselves walking up and down mountains, though forests, across fields, and among thousands of grapevines. A kind farmer encouraged us to take some bunches of grapes with us, and they were undoubtedly the best grapes any of us had ever tasted. It was more than hard, but the whole experience that first day was beautiful.
Despite the beauty of the walk, that first night, I knew I was in over my head. My feet ached. I had used my inhaler twice that day. I was exhausted and collapsed into bed praying that I could make it through the next day.
By the end of day two, my feet and toes hurt so badly I didn’t know how I would walk the following day. It wasn’t a fun walk, with much of the day spent on busy roads, and I found myself wondering why I was doing this. Halfway through day three, almost all my toes and my heel were wrapped in blister bandaids, and I hoped that my smile would hide my pain and increasing doubts.
On that third day, when I was in so much pain, I started concentrating on just taking it one step at a time. I trudged along and fell behind more than once, but I told myself I could do this. The town we stopped in for the night, O’Cebreiro, was at the top of a mountain, and the town was delightful. Settled by Celts (this was our first night in the region of Galicia), the town reminded me of my beloved Scotland, and I suddenly felt a connection to the land. Earlier in our travels, we met Mina, Rada, and Marisol–husband, wife, and cousin–from Peru who had recently retired and moved to Madrid. This was their third time walking the French Route of El Camino. They told us that we must attend the Pilgrims’ Mass that night because it was such a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist and of the The Way. During that Mass, surrounded by others who were making the same pilgrimage we were, something began to change in me.
On day four, I wore my hiking sandals all day along with toe socks (hiking socks that are made like gloves to keep the toes from rubbing together). I told myself it was just for the day, but my feet felt so much better, and I felt something begin to take hold inside my mind and heart. We were now seeing the same faces over and over, passing each other throughout the day, sharing stories about The Way, where we were from, and why we were walking. I found myself praying the Hail Mary as I went up hills, and the hills seemed to get easier. I was enjoying the scenery more and more, and I was beginning to feel like I could do this after all.
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir
We were at the same hotel that night as Mina, Rada, and Marisol and talked to them about our reasons for making the walk. They offered advice and made us feel like we’d made real friends that day rather than just passing familiar faces. I was still saying Hail Marys each time we went uphill (that practice never stopped), but when I went to bed that night with the cool mountain air blowing through the curtained window, and I was actually looking forward to the next day.
Angel Whispers
A couple nights later, we were at Mass in Palas de Rei when something amazing happened. The closing hymn was sung in Spanish, but the words were clear to me:
You are never alone in life;
Mary is with you on your journey.
Come with us, Mary, as we walk!
Come with us, Mary, as we walk!
I cried as I listened to the words sung in echoing refrains. St. James inspired me. The Holy Spirit guided me. The Lord protected me. and Mary walked with me every step of the way.
Over the next few days, I began to become comfortable with the long stretches of semi-flat land followed by series of hills. I looked forward to seeing friendly faces along the way, not just those we met and got to know on the route but also the many townspeople who greeted us with smiles, waves, and calls of “Buen Camino!”
Our circle of acquaintances got wider, and the steps got easier.
We met an 85-year-old man from Belgium who had been walking for four months from Belgium, across France, through the Pyrenees, and along Northern Spain. We had barely begun, and he was gleefully talking about how he was almost finished! We met Erin, a twenty-something from LA who was walking the entire French Route by herself and then meeting family from Ireland for the last stretch. We met an 80-year-old British couple who started a couple towns before we did (in the mountains) and were just taking their time each day, walking and enjoying the views and the people they met. Annmarie was from Northern California and was a mountain bike enthusiast biking her away across the French Route. We met a man in his sixties from Copenhagen who had lost his wife and was walking the entire French Route and then continuing down the Portuguese and Spanish coasts to Morocco! We spent time with two teachers, Sarah and Allison, from Scotland, one in her 50s and one in her 60s, who walked the challenging Del Norte Route. We met a woman from Australia who was completing a month on the French Route, starting from the beginning. We talked to people of all ages who did the Portuguese Route on foot and by bike.
I found myself thinking about the people, their stories, and all the stories I carry in my own head. I continued praying on the hills, but along other parts of the walk, when we weren’t deep in conversation, I found myself creating plot lines I hadn’t developed and scenes I was just beginning to form. At times, my mind was quiet and content, and at other times, an array of voices sounded in my head, sometimes bellowing ideas and other times whispering gently in the breeze.
“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”
– Raymond Inmon
A Blessing for the Day and Beyond
We followed the markers wherever they took us, into towns, through fields, across water, up and down mountains and hills, and through forests. We saw a baby calf just born and waited for thirty minutes to watch it stand for the first time. We visited a monastery in Samos that was absolutely magnificent! We followed rivers and streams as they meandered through the forests. We went inside church after church, some dating back to the 8- and 900s! Every bend held a surprise, and every little stone village was a walk through the past. We ate at quaint little restaurants, crossed bridges older than anything in America, and made sure to collect our Camino passport stamps at each stop. Everywhere we went, St. James was there to greet us and point us on our Way.
The day of our last walk, we began long before sunrise, finding the path using flashlights, wanting to make it to the noon Pilgrims’ Mass at the cathedral. By the time we got our first glimpse of Santiago, from the top of Mont de Gozo, I felt like I was flying. We were halfway through the last day’s walk, five miles down, and five to go. I was still wearing my sandals and toe socks (I never did put my hiking shoes back on, making my own way in sandals for those eight remaining days just as St. James did two thousand years ago).
“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Once inside the city limits, the sidewalks seemed to stretch on forever, but my feet felt light, and my heart soared. As we neared the historic district, the anticipation was thrumming through my veins. All at once, the steeples and bell tower were before us, and we gazed in awe at the magnificent holy building reaching toward the sky.
After Mass, we made our way to the Pilgrims’ Office to receive our Compostelas. I don’t know how long I stood in the courtyard and stared at the piece of parchment, tears streaming down my face. I texted everyone I knew who was waiting to hear from me. When Chris and Angie joined me, we hugged, took pictures, and reveled in the moment. We kept walking all weekend, even after reaching our hotel. We walked most of the city, more than once. We circled the grand cathedral multiple times, took a tour of the church and its museum, and even did a walking historic city and tapas tour.
By the time I got back to Maryland, the bottoms of my feet were literally black and blue with bruises, but my heart was on fire. I rested for a few days, but by day three at home, I was restless. I woke up early and knew exactly what I needed to do.
I dug out a pair of walking shoes from my closet, and I headed outside. I was back on the Eastern Shore, and there were no hills in sight, but my heart was soaring, and my feet took me down familiar roads with a new song in my heart.
Meet Amy in Person!
Women of the Bible Retreat, Part I
Saturday, October 14, 2023 9:000am-5:00pm – Saints Peter and Paul Church, Easton, MD
Amy will be leading a three-part women’s retreat focusing on her new release, Clothed With Strength and Dignity, a study of the women of the Bible. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as copy of Amy’s book. Optional workbooks may be ordered for personal enrichment but will not be used for this retreat-style event.
Part I will focus on Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, and Miriam.
Day of Reflection – Lessons from Mary Magdalene
Thursday, October 19, 2023 9:300am-3:00pm – Oak Crest Senior Living Community, Parkville, Maryland
Amy will be talking about Mary Magdalene, who she was, what roles she played, and what she can teach us today about following the Lord. Amy will have books for sale during and after the event.
Women’s Club of Saint Mary of the Assumption
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 9am – Noon – Upper Marlboro, MD
Amy will be speaking on the topic, , Imitating Mary in Word and Action. The morning will be going with coffee and conversation, followed by praying the Rosary and Amy’s talk. Books will be available for purchase after the talk.
Women of the Bible Retreat, Part II
Saturday, January 13, 2024 9:000am-5:00pm – Saints Peter and Paul Church, Easton, MD
Amy will be leading a three-part women’s retreat focusing on her new release, Clothed With Strength and Dignity, a study of the women of the Bible. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as copy of Amy’s book. Optional workbooks may be ordered for personal enrichment but will not be used for this retreat-style event.
Part II will focus on Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Bathsheba, Judith, and Esther
Registration coming Soon.
Women of the Bible Retreat, Part III
Saturday, April 13, 2024 9:000am-5:00pm – Saints Peter and Paul Church, Easton, MD
Amy will be leading a three-part women’s retreat focusing on her new release, Clothed With Strength and Dignity, a study of the women of the Bible. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as copy of Amy’s book. Optional workbooks may be ordered for personal enrichment but will not be used for this retreat-style event.
Part III will focus on Mary, Elizabeth, Peter’s Wife, the Hemorrhaging Woman, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene.
Registration coming Soon.
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Amy Schisler is an award-winning author of both children’s books and sweet, faith-filled romance novels for readers of all ages. She lives with her husband and three daughters on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her books, Picture Me, Whispering Vines, and Island of Miracles are all recipients of Illumination Awards, placing them among the top inspirational fiction books of 2015, 2016, and 2017. Whispering Vines was awarded the 2017 LYRA Award for the best romance of 2016. The Good Wine, the sequel to Whispering Vines was released in June of 2021. Island of Miracles has outsold all of Amy’s other books worldwide and ranked as high as 600 on Amazon. Her follow up, Island of Promise is a reader favorite. Amy’s children’s chapter book is The Greatest Gift, and her most recent suspense novel is Summer’s Squall.
Amy’s second book in the Chincoteague Island Trilogy, Island of Promise, was awarded First Prize by the Oklahoma Romance Writer’s Association as the best Inspirational Romance of 2018 and was awarded a Gold Medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards 2019 for Inspirational Fiction. It is the 2019 winner for Best Inspirational Fiction in the RWA Golden Quill Contest, Best Romance in the American Book Awards, and a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award of Fiction. Amy’s 2019 work, The Devil’s Fortune, a finalist in the Writer’s Digest Self-Publishing Awards and winner of an Illumination Award, is based, in part, on Amy’s family history. The third book in Amy’s Chincoteague Island Trilogy, Island of Hope, was released in August of 2019. Amy’s book, Desert Fire, Mountain Rain begins her new Buffalo Springs series. Book two, Under the Summer Moon, was released in December of 2021. Amy’s latest Buffalo Springs book, Sapphires in Snow, was released in November, 2022. In July 2023, Amy released the second book in the Chincoteague Sunsets Trilogy, c. Amy’s first Bible study, Clothed With Strength and Dignity, came out in September of 2023.
You may follow Amy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Amy’s books: Crabbing With Granddad (2013), A Place to Call Home (2014), Picture Me (2015), Whispering Vines (2016), Island of Miracles (2017), Stations of the Cross Meditations for Moms (2017), The Greatest Gift (2017), Summer’s Squall (2017), Island of Promise (2018), The Devil’s Fortune (2019), Island of Hope (2019), A Devotional Alphabet (2019), Desert Fire, Mountain Rain(2020), The Good Wine (2021), Under the Summer Moon (2021), Meet the Saints From A-Z, A Child’s Introduction to the Saints (2022), Seeking Tranquility (2022), Sapphires in Snow (2022), Seeking Sugar and Spice (2023), Clothed With Strength and Dignity (2023)
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