Two years ago I walked part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain with a group of friends and a group of strangers who quickly became friends.

It was not a trip, it was a transformation.

The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage with various routes across Europe, all leading to the Church of St. James in Santiago de Compostela. Allegedly, James, one of Jesus' apostles, is buried there. Thus, the Camino is often called "The Way of St. James."

Walking any part of the Camino is stunning. The landscape is breathtaking. The fellow pilgrims are interesting, intense and friendly. The shrines along the way, often lined with photos or baby shoes or prayers, are breathtaking. Human joy, heartbreak and the relentless search for the Divine fill the atmosphere.

The experience changed my life. I started to see myself as an adventurer, a brave one, a person willing and able to take risks.

I came home a different person. My life changed ... a lot.

And I am going back.

This time on a different route. We are starting at the Church of St. James and walking to Finesterre - the place the ancient Romans thought of as "the end of the world." The route is a touch more primitive than the last, the mileage a bit longer, the accomodations more rustic.

This precious pearl of a lady is ready. Ready to walk until I feel unable to walk another step. Ready to laugh and sing and walk in silence. Ready to experience "thin places" that appear mysteriously on the pilgrimage - spaces where God and eternity feel as close as my next breath. Ready to drink beer and eat cake for lunch. Ready to fall into bed exhausted and spent and happy. Ready to hear afresh from the God of the pilgrimage, the God of the pilgrim, the God of the journey.

Who knows what kinds of changes lie ahead for me this time?

Whatever they might be, I am ready.

As my fearless travel leader and friend says, "Right foot, left foot." This is how we train for the Camino, this is how we go through life.

It's all magic, isn't it?