Our family of 6 walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023, and my husband and I returned with our girls in 2025. I’m painting the journey—one memory at a time—and I hope you’ll follow along as I prepare for an art show in fall 2026.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a pilgrim as a person who makes a journey, often a long and difficult one, to a special place for religious reasons.

From May 30 to July 4, 2023, my husband and I, along with our four children, walked from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain—and then on to the end of the earth, Cabo de Finisterre.

We made this pilgrimage to celebrate 25 years of marriage.

1,295,000 steps to Finisterre

9,131 days to 25 years

Along the way, I learned lessons of:

Gratitude

Trust

Vulnerability

Grit

Hope

Joy

Love

Friendship

Humor

and Patience

I learned that you can go really far if you focus on the possibility rather than the problem. You will get there if you just keep going—the only way possible—one step at a time.

I also learned that it is the little moments along the way that make the journey special. Because of this, I try to pause and appreciate the beauty and significance that are right in front of me.