Walking with Sam

As a younger man Andrew McCarthy who was going through some troubling times completed an extraordinary adventure - the 500 mile trek across Spain’s Camino de Santiago. This legendary pilgrimage, rich in medieval history, leads its travelers to the Cathedral in the Galicia region of northwest Spain. He dreamed of returning and from the moment Andrew’s first son Sam began to walk he hoped someday they could accomplish this journey together. At 19, Sam was finally ready. The duo set off on this remarkable pilgrimage which promised to be both daunting and fulfilling. Walking stick in hand, they head out into the long, quiet, arduous task of walking. Essentially off the grid with heavy packs on their backs they fall into a rhythm of walking, eating and sleeping in small villages with only the barest necessities. They meet an array of eclectic fellow pilgrims, some that accompany them to their final destination. When work and every day life is put aside and weeks of open road lie ahead conversations meander from one extreme to the other; the zombie apocalypse to music and painful memories of divorce. Trying to connect with your adult offspring can be a challenge as we face the speed with which we are losing them to the world. Accepting your children are independent of you, your choices and expectations while endlessly encouraging them to be brave and confident is probably the hardest job in the world. Andrew’s memoir of his walk with Sam is filled with love and patience, blisters and disagreements. Perfect book to celebrate Father’s Day, I simply adored every single chapter and have already told my grown son all about it. Thats a start. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐