Walking it Out

The milestone every parent looks forward to is the day their child learns to walk. It’s the one thing we do all our lives until we are injured or unable. Walking benefits us physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. 

The day after my husband died, I put on my shoes and took the dog for a walk. It became the “thing” I did: to move my body when I was so broken, to see beauty with every breath, to discover a different life than I had known, to pray and pour out my pain to God. In other words, it was the way to walk out my grief,

At the end of 2022, my friend Carole approached me and asked if I’d be interested in walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. I knew of the Camino after watching the 2010 film, “The Way,” with Martin Sheen. The historical nature of the Camino de Santiago follows the ancient pilgrim path, also known as The Way of Saint James. Each year, thousands of people travel to Spain for the journey of a lifetime.

Walking the Camino had not been on my bucket list, but I thought, “Why not?” I was mostly concerned about the physicality of walking 9-11 miles a day. After we purchased our plane tickets, Carole and I began walking 3 miles, then 6 miles, then 9 miles. I discovered that walking over 70 miles in 10 days was much more than the physical activity of walking. It was a spiritual and emotional journey, a pilgrimage of body, mind, soul, and spirit.

Vance Havner, the late pastor and author, said, “If you don’t come apart for a while, you will come apart in a while.” Taking time to come apart as a pilgrim on the Camino allowed me to reset, recalibrate, and recenter. It gave me a perspective of looking down from a balcony at myself rather than the daily stage where I normally lived. At the beginning of the journey, I prayed, “Lord, declutter my soul, renew my mind, reengage my faith, allow me to listen to you as I slow down and listen to Your voice.” This prayer was answered as I returned home. Slowing down to reevaluate my life as a widow offered me a reset as I looked back while considering my present and future. 

Whether you choose to walk the Camino de Santiago or take a walk in your neighborhood, setting aside time to unplug, untether, and disconnect offers a reset that we all need. Time apart keeps us from coming apart.

(Later this month, my book, “Walking the Way, A 21-Day Devotional for the Camino de Santiago” will be available on Amazon. I’ll keep you posted)

"Grateful Yet Grieving"

FREE ebook by Pam Luschei | Click HERE To Download

Lasting Legacy

What creates an enduring connection with our loved one? How do we stay connected to our person who has gone on to heaven? What is a lasting legacy? Some ways of honoring a loved one include planting a tree, designing a bench or rock with their name on it, or displaying something they loved in our home. It may be in the form of words through recipes, songs, poems, or stories.

Unbeknownst to me, a young woman attended my husband’s memorial service out of respect and in place of her parents, who were out of the country. From the viewpoint of learning who my husband was, through the stories we shared, she was intrigued and decided to write a book. As an author of fiction, she included my husband as inspiration for a character set in Croatia, where she grew up. What resulted is the book People, Prayer, & Pizza by Faith Riccomi.

The story is one of ordinary faithfulness. My husband was humble and hospitable. In 2010, he built a homemade pizza oven that sits on my back patio. After reading a book and watching a YouTube video, he collected the materials to create a brick oven in order to make pizza. It didn’t stop there. He went on to find the best recipe to make his own homemade pizza dough using just the right flour and olive oil. I can count the times I would call him on the phone while at the store to ask if he wanted bleached or unbleached flour.

Over the course of the next eight years, we would host dozens of people in our home for homemade wood-fired pizza. At his memorial service, I asked people to raise their hands if they had been to our home for pizza. A friend told me at least a hundred people raised their hands.

After a pizza party when people had gone home, my husband’s face reflected the delight of serving people. I still see it in my mind and smile. He simply served. It’s the way he’s remembered.

The dedication in the book People, Prayer, & Pizza the author says, “I now know my life doesn’t have to be big. For my God is big.” Such a good reminder that we all leave a legacy. It can simply be one of ordinary faithfulness to God and others.

People, Prayer, & Pizza

"Grateful Yet Grieving"

FREE ebook by Pam Luschei | Click HERE To Download