{"id":48802,"date":"2013-03-02T22:35:01","date_gmt":"2013-03-03T05:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/put-down-your-stone\/"},"modified":"2013-04-02T11:42:14","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T18:42:14","slug":"put-down-your-stone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/put-down-your-stone\/","title":{"rendered":"Put Down Your Stone"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cruz<\/a><\/p>\n

At the highest point of the Camino in Spain, upon the plateau of Monte Irago, is a cross.<\/p>\n

This cross, called Cruz de Ferro<\/em> (literally, “iron cross”) is a tall oak post with a small iron cross attached to the top. All around the cross is a large pile of stones. <\/p>\n

Pilgrims have been laying a stone at Cruz de Ferro for centuries. <\/p>\n

I’m no different. I’m bringing a stone. I collected it during my inadvertent Camino<\/a> day, back in August. On that day, my friend Paul and I sort of accidentally walked about 25 km. <\/p>\n

Along the way, we passed near a number of tall, crumbly cliffs. On a whim, I grabbed a small stone from the base of one. I’m glad I did.<\/p>\n

Today, as part of our continuing training, I walked a mere 18km, and Francine walked 16km. Full packs.<\/p>\n

It was a good walk, but the aftermath has been less than pleasant. Our feet hurt, and we’re crabby. Some days are like that. Some days you forget to put down that stone you’re carrying, the one that’s weighing you down. <\/p>\n

When asked why angels could fly, G.K. Chesterton replied, “because they take themselves so lightly.”<\/p>\n

Perhaps for us to fly, we need to put down those stones we carry, the ones we keep collecting.<\/p>\n

Next Saturday, I walk 20km. The Saturday after that, 25.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, I’ll be walking on the Camino. We should get to Cruz de Ferro sometime in the last week of April, at which point I will lay down my stone, as have countless pilgrims before me.<\/p>\n

\n

Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Saviour, one day weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds when the deeds of my life are judged. Let it be so.<\/p>\n

(traditional pilgrim’s prayer at Cruz de Ferro)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the highest point of the Camino in Spain, upon the plateau of Monte Irago, is a cross. This cross, called Cruz de Ferro (literally, “iron cross”) is a tall oak post with a small iron cross attached to the top. All around the cross is a large pile of stones. Pilgrims have been laying a stone at Cruz de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-cH8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61980,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/cruz-de-ferro\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":0},"title":"Cruz de Ferro","author":"Thom","date":"28 April 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"22 April 2013 One of the great traditions of the modern Camino is to leave a stone at Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross marking (more or less) the highest spot on the Camino route in Spain. This, we did today. In an earlier entry, I talked about my stone,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":107753,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-gathering-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":1},"title":"The Gathering, 2023","author":"Thom","date":"19 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"years ago, Francine and I took our Hospitalero training at the annual Gathering of American Pilgrims on the Camino in South Lake Tahoe. It was quite the adventure, what with a blizzard, driving down a mountain in the snow, and finally the beginning of the Plague. When we got back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.08.28-copy-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.08.28-copy-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.08.28-copy-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.08.28-copy-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.08.28-copy-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87155,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/on-a-human-scale\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":2},"title":"On a Human Scale","author":"Thom","date":"24 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"After Rabanal, we crested the Cordillera Cant\u00e1brica at Cruz de Ferro. Traditionally, one leaves a stone at the foot of the cross there. This is the accompanying prayer:\u00a0 Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83991,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-cruz-de-ferro\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":3},"title":"One Year Ago: Cruz de Ferro","author":"Thom","date":"22 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Molinaseca 22 April 2013 Saying Goodbye to our Hospitaleros at Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal Too tired to think properly. Spectacular climb to Cruz de Ferro, Francine, Mark, and I. Saw some peregrinos there we had prviously met in Rabanal. Saw a forest fire in the hills \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saying Goodbye to our Hospitaleros at Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9039840200_0ac669336f_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9039840200_0ac669336f_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9039840200_0ac669336f_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9039840200_0ac669336f_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":107759,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/i-want-to-walk-for-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":4},"title":"I Want to Walk for You","author":"Thom","date":"20 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"weeks ago, I was struck by the thought of carrying others with me on my long Camino this autumn. Now I know what you're thinking. Sounds a little odd, yes? Perhaps the easiest way to clarify is to quote from the note to myself that I wrote back on April\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-15-17.50.45-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":85890,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/180-days\/","url_meta":{"origin":48802,"position":5},"title":"180 Days","author":"Thom","date":"29 September 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My annual camp\/cabin trip was this past weekend. Basically it\u2019s the same group of guys every year, with the occasional comings and goings. Back in the day, we camped. One particular weekend, about seven or eight years ago now, it rained so hard that it put out our campfire. 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