Coincidences on eve of climbing Pyrenees...

This afternoon I leave Loyola Spain by car to go to St. Jean Pied de Port, on the French side of the Pyrenees. Tomorrow monring I walk up the Pyrenees. It´s pouring rain right now. This is not exactly how I planned things in my mind! >Let´s hope for better weather tomorrow.
I just attended mass in what was the bedroom---and now is a chapel--in Ignatius Loyola´s caslte where he recuperated after a battle injury and had his conversion. From this place, he went on a long pilgrimage--all the way to the >Holy Land, traveling the land part by foot and donkey in the 16th century! Incredible. So, I thought it would be fitting for me to ask his metaphorical blessing as I set out on my own pilgrimage (in fact, in Ignatius´s autobiography, he refers to himself as ¨the pilgrim"
I´m being driven to St. Jean today courtesy of two Spaniards who live close to here and who expressed interest in meeting me after reading my book. It should be about a two hour drive, and it was most kind of them to offer. Their names are "javier¨" and ¨"inigo," or, in English: Xavier and Ignatius. Many of you know that Ignatius (Loyola) and (Francis) Xavier are the two most famous co-founders of the Jesuits, so it´s a weird and striking coincidence that they should be chauffering me to my start point today!
So, all in all, propitious signs despite bad weather.....
By the way, if you want to leave a comment at this blog site, I understand that it will be much easier if you log in as anonymous (and leave your name and city in the first line of your message)--if you try to register, it becomes more of a hassle, I gather.