I got my Pilgrim's Credential!

I recently joined the American Pilgrims on the Camino & sent in an extra donation for credentials. I didn't request one, however (I think), since I'm not planning to go until next May. Still, it's good to see what it looks like, even though I now have to keep track of it for a year.



The card is from Kathy Gower, welcoming me to the organization & the picture on the front is a drawing of Notre Dame du Bout du Port in St. Jean Pied du Port, where I plan to start my Camino. The artist is Eric Doud.

In the middle you see a flower vase shaped like the Virgin Mary that was given to my mother when her first child, my sister Georgia, died a few hours after she was born in 1961. While some in my family are Catholic, my own famly was not, but Mom always appreciated the kindness that the Sisters who ran Spohn Hospital showed to her during that time. In addition to flower arrangements such what was in the vase above, the Sisters gave my mother a small statue of St. Francis of Assisi. She kept him in the laundry room & it was one of my favorite things in the house, even though it was your generic St. Francis statue where he's holding a rabbit in one hand, a blessing in the other, a bird is on his shoulder, & miscellaneous small animals at his feet. At some point in his career of guarding our house, he literally lost his head, not from having to keep up with our antics, but instead was the victim of a fall or perhaps a move. My dad painstakingly reglued his head back on & he kept watch over us for many more years. Somewhere along the way, St. Francis disappeared, but I'm sure he's still keeping tabs on us just the same.

When I was practically dead of pneumonia at age 3, the Sisters who ran St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Beaumont also were very kind to my mother. When the doctors rushed my mom out of my room because they thought I was dead, the first thing my mom said was "Get me a Sister." So, while I'm not Catholic, I have much respect & high regard for those Sisters, Fathers, & Brothers who dedicate their lives to serving God & give help & comfort to us lay persons.