I encountered Buddha on my Christian Pilgrimage

I know-what a title, right? There is so much more to the story. On the third day of our hike, the one that would be our shortest hike except for the last day, I encountered Buddha…lots of buddhas. The day started after two long days and I was ready for a shorter day. We started a little later than the other days. I should have known it would be a tough day when one of our team fell at the onset of the hike. As my teammate helped to bandage her up, I went to get one of our coveted stamps in our Camino passport that showed all the places we stopped on the route. The lady giving me the stamp asked if I wanted to hear about my aura and to give me words of encouragement on my day. We gathered our items and continued on our hike stopping at a nearby small chapel to collect another stamp. It was at this stop that I saw the stand of memorial candles. As has always been my routine since losing my Titi Luisa during Hurricane Maria, I lit a candle and said a prayer for her. There are days when she is forefront in my mind, even all these years later, and that day was one of those days. She was always the center of our family. Whenever we would visit Puerto Rico, we would always gather in her home. I remember her and Tio Popo’s cooking and recalled how thankful I was that they both chose to share those treasured recipes with Rob and I. I remembered her calling me every week when I was pregnant with the girls, just checking in to make sure I was ok. She was a second mom to many of us and the best mom to her own kids. So, that day as I hiked away from the chapel, Titi Luisa was in my heart just like she was the heart of our family.