The blue and yellow waymarkers along the Via Di Francesco were so important to my pilgrimage that I brought home a little rock picked up on the way and over the past couple of days made my own waymarker as a reminder of the journey.
This is a book I'm finding I can't rush through as it has such deep wisdom and much thought-provoking content, which is why I've been taking breaks to engage in a bit of arty creativity as I've designed my waymarker stone.
I'm combining reading this book with Phil Cousineau's book "The Art of Pilgrimage".
Which is another book for savouring in short sections as it is a collection of inspirational stories, myths, parables and quotes. It's one I also began before my pilgrimage and one that came with me - though I didn't read as much as I thought I might whilst in transit - hence carrying on engaging with it now.
I have a notebook beside me to record quotes and thoughts, and my spiritual journal to hand as well so I can capture those moments when God speaks profoundly to me thought what I'm reading.
And that brought back to mind a conversation I had with Elsa - fellow pilgrim on the way: https://revalitaylor.blogspot.com/2025/04/day-5-over.html?m=1 She was intrigued to find out that I was writing a blog. When I shared I also journalled regularly she shared that she used to journal, but hadn't for a while but was now inspired to get back to it!
Journalling may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's important to think about how we record and remember the ways God has spoken to us on our journeys of faith. Like my little waymarker stone, remember that during their journey through the desert, the Israelites built various altars to commemorate significant events and express their relationship with God. These altars serving as both physical structures and symbolic representations of their covenant with God, highlighting important moments in their wilderness journey. Which is a bit like some of the stone cairns I came across whilst on pilgrimage.
