When we imagine walking the Camino—or any long journey—we often think about the big moments.
The mountains.
The milestones.
The breakthroughs.
But in my preparation, I’ve discovered something even more sacred:
the small things.
The cool shade after a long stretch in the sun.
The silence between footsteps.
The quiet hello from someone walking the other way.
Grace in Miniature
I’ve started paying more attention to these little things.
Noticing them. Naming them. Blessing them.
They’re easy to overlook.
A patch of wild mint.
A robin’s call.
A stone that catches the light just right.
But these small moments are not small to God.
They’re how grace often comes—subtle, simple, and steady.
And they carry us.
A Spiritual Practice of Blessing
So I’ve begun a quiet practice:
At some point in each walk, I stop.
I look around.
I pick one small thing, and I bless it.
A tree.
A breeze.
The ache in my knees.
I name it holy, because it is.
It’s part of the road.
It’s part of the journey.
And God is in it.
The Invitation
You don’t have to be on the Camino to live this way.
Today — right where you are — try this:
- Notice one small thing.
- Pause.
- Bless it.
- Give thanks.
The kingdom of God is full of small things.
And when we bless them, we begin to see just how much beauty we’ve already been walking past.
A Prayer for the Small Things
God of the quiet and unnoticed,
You are in the stillness and the sunlight,
the kindness of strangers,
the dust on the road,
the breath that fills my lungs.
Today, I bless the small things:
The things I would usually miss.
The simple. The ordinary. The slow.
Let me not rush past what you have made sacred.
Let me walk with gratitude for the ground beneath me,
the wind beside me,
and the grace that travels with me—unseen but sure.
Amen.
Thanks for walking gently with me.
Buen Camino,
Fr. Don+