11/1/2019, 19:00
They’re baaaack! The bedbugs have returned, with a vengeance. Last night, in an albergue in Barbadelo, after a delicious dinner which included the Galician specialty, Galician Soup, and visiting with fellow pilgrims, the six of us, Frs. Tony, Joe Totton, Joe Kieffer (another seminary classmate who just joined us in Sarria), plus Joe G, Marius and me, retired for the evening. Upon turning out the lights, we noticed that the walls seemed to be moving. Further inspection revealed a multitude of bedbugs had come out of their daytime hiding places and were getting ready to feast, on US!!! We promptly notified the owner, who claimed that we brought the varmints with us! Recognizing that nothing could be done to fix the problem that night, we, along with another dozen or so pilgrims, made a hasty late night departure. Taxiing back to Sarria, we spent the rest of the night in a hotel. This entire morning was occupied with washing everything in our packs and then the clothes we were wearing. For Fr. Tony and me, this process was, unfortunately, becoming routine but it was rather unsettling to our fellow pilgrims.
Finally, around 13:30, we taxied back to the Camino, ready to resume our slow march to Santiago but only after we thoroughly checked the next albergue for bedbugs.
Patience and perseverance. Patience and perseverance; although I have to honestly admit that last night the thought crossed my mind to simply leave the Camino before reaching Santiago and travel to Grenoble, France to visit our daughter (Terri), son-in-law (Nico) and granddaughter (Charlie Lucie) a few days earlier than planned. But I don’t want to abandon my fellow pilgrims. So, Buen Camino; onward toward Santiago we go!
I will end with a prayer that I saw in the church in O Cebreiro:
Most high, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness in my heart and give me Lord,
a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity,
sense and knowledge, so that I may carry out
your holy and true command.
AMEN.
Jim Olshefski
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