Life was falling apart. Within the space of three years, Sonia Choquette had suffered the unexpected death of two close family members, seen her marriage implode, and been let down by trusted colleagues. And sympathy was not forthcoming. "You're a world-renowned spiritual teacher and intuitive guide," people jeered. "How could you not have seen this coming?" Having intuitive abilities didn't make her superhuman, however. Nor did it exempt her from being wounded or suffering the pain of loss and the consequences of our all-too-human traits such as anger, resentment, and pride-traits that can lead even the best of us to stray from our spiritual path. In order to regain her spiritual footing, Sonia turned to the age-old practice of pilgrimage and set out to walk the legendary Camino de Santiago, an 820-kilometer trek over the Pyrenees and across northern Spain. Day after day she pushed through hunger, exhaustion, and pain to reach her destination. Eventually, mortification of the flesh gave way to spiritual renewal, and she rediscovered the gifts of humility and forgiveness that she needed to repair her world. In this riveting book, Sonia shares the intimate details of her grueling experience, as well as the unexpected moments of grace, humor, beauty, and companionship that supported her through her darkest hours. While her journey is unique, the lessons she learned-about honoring your relationships with others as well as with your own higher self, and forgiving all else-are universal.
The travelogue aspect of this memoir - the tiny villages she passed through, the things she saw, the simplicity of her accommodations, the food she ate, the people she met - these were the things I was most interested in as I read, and Choquette brought it to life for me. However, the self-help jargon felt awkward in places, and it was hard to swallow all the past life connections. I wanted more of Choquette’s personal voice, not her professional voice. (2 1/2 stars) More of my thoughts on this title can be found on my blog at A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall.
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1 March, 2015:
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1 March, 2015:
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