Today in the garden I picked up a stone and felt that this will be the stone that I will carry to the Cruz de Ferro during my Camino to Santiago de Compostela. At first, I did not know why this would be the stone, it just felt good and was still light enough as a stone to carry all the way to the Cruz de Ferro. What actually for me acknowledged that this is indeed the stone to carry is the resemblance it has with a scallop shell of St James. The symbol for the pilgrims to Santiago the Compostela.
This is one of the many traditions surrounding the Camino. Pilgrims carry a stone from home symbolizing their sins, which they leave behind at the Cruz de Ferro. Some pilgrims bring more than one stone, also for friends or family members and for some the stone symbolizes the connection of their homeland to the Camino. The stone has nowadays for many a broader meaning than just the religious way of leaving your sins. Some leave with the stone symbolically a problem or issue they for long have been carrying. For me the stone is connected to the tradition of the Camino and picking this one up in the garden, realizing that I will bring it to Spain is bridging the months to come a little and brings the Camino just a bit closer.