Well Friday has come round again and the shoes and socks are off for Us. again. I know I have tried to keep you up to date on my barefoot escapades, but I missed last Friday. There was a good reason for this, I switched off my internet for the weekend as I went on a pilgrimage. I spent the whole weekend barefoot, as many pilgrims over the last 950 years have done. Though it has to be said that more recently most people visiting Walsingham just do the Holy Mile Barefoot.
So I packed the suitcase minus shoes, socks and slippers, in order to remove temptation. Got into the car and enjoyed the warmth of the heating. As we drove through Thetford forest, I began to feel slightly as if I was cheating, here I was barefoot and driving. In the past pilgrims would have had to have made the journey by foot or by horse. It has to be said that when we arrived in the late afternoon and I got out the car, any ideas that I was cheating were vanquished by the shot of pain as I realised how much colder it was there.
Having settled in our rooms and thawed my feet slightly, we went out to walk round to the refectory. Keen to take in the still darkness of the gardens we took the long route round. The children raced ahead taking in the crosses and stations. I stepped out on to the gravel paths, on top of the cold, it felt like a hundred needles stabbing my feet all at once. I could see the brick path and the shorter route, but made the concious decision to walk the path already chosen, as I really did want to remind myself of the gardens. The brick path came soon enough, as did the warmth of the refectory and hot food.
The next day brought colder weather and the stations of the cross. Walking the stations barefoot encouraged me to see them in a whole new light. Yes, I was in pain and yes, there was so much temptation to give up and walk back inside. However, I did not. I was experiencing a small amount of pain walking this short pathway, sheltered from the rain by a canopy. I could not complain when listening to the story of one who experienced so much pain, in order that I might receive salvation. To turn back, somehow seemed the most selfish thing I could have done.
The afternoon I spent sat in my sons room , as he felt tired. The others went off and I sat in the window seat watching life pass, when the rain became thicker and eventually turned to slush and then snow. My heart sank. It appeared at that point that there was some kind of pattern developing, that when I was barefoot it was to be cold at best and snowing at worst. The blessing was the snow did not settle and the fact that the Shrine Church was heated. That evening I went to Mass with the everyone else. I was moved when receiving the Sacraments. Not wearing shoes in this country has been for many years a sign that you have no money and so has become stigmatised. Walking anywhere without shoes on tends to lead people to think you are either slightly crazy or have no money. You feel vulnerable and concious of people you do not know looking at you. To come and stand before the altar and receive, in this state of vulnerability was most humbling.
The final day of the Pilgrimage was Mothering Sunday, here I have to confess to getting my husband to bring the car to the entrance when we left. It was with good reason though, the ground was colder still than the day before and it was snowing more heavily than before. Still before this I had walked through the village to Parish Mass and back again to the refectory for lunch. I do feel I let the side down by allowing myself off the small distance to the car park having already walked this far. I was also aware that should I continue to take my feet from the extremes of temperature I was, I would damage them. Then I would not be able to do Holy Week and so that was my excuse to ease the guilty nagging in my head.
So that was my longest experience of being Barefoot for Us. compared to that, today seems simple and SO much warmer. The sun is out and although one could not say it is even warm, it certainly is not as cold as last weekend. As I have just mentioned I am not doing this because I am poor (many have said I am crazy, they may well be right), I am doing this in the hope that I might be able to help improve some peoples lives. If you feel inclined to donate please do so through my just giving page
http://www.justgiving.com/Hannah-Phillips7
For anyone wondering, the picture at the top was taken after walking my friends dog before I left on the pilgrimage on Friday morning.
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