Love is the Answer

It’s been six weeks since I posted any content here, but I have a justifiable excuse.

I went for a walk.

Well, it was more than a walk, it was a pilgrimage. I just hiked 315 kilometers (196 miles) on a part of the Via Francigena in Italy. For 15 days I hiked and traveled from Bari to Santa Maria di Leuca which is at the very tip of the heel of the boot in the Puglia region. This is my third cammino having previously hiked the Cammino Portuguese in 2024 and the Cammino di San Benedetto in 2025.

I’ve been home for six days now and the Health app on my phone alerted me yesterday that the number of steps I took per day has drastically declined over the last 5 days, going from 27,611 steps a day to a mere 6,832. This is because I’ve been seriously practicing self-care with rest, leg massages, and being compassionate with myself when the jet lag has me fighting to stay awake every night at 7:30 PM and surrendering to bed.

I have promised myself I will take the time to review my journal entries and photos of all the hikes and integrate all I experienced so I can share it, but for now I want to share my biggest take away from this recent journey.

It was a blessing to be able to make this journey and be outside enjoying the Italian landscapes, culture, and food.

I am grateful to have experienced the Francigena with Mike, one of my late husband’s cousins and his friend John. This was our second cammino journey together. Mike is an ardent follower of Neem Karoli Baba and has recounted stories about Baba Ji’s devotees and the wisdom he offered them. For example, he was the one who encouraged Kirtan artist Krishna Das to go out into the world and share his voice. Another well-known devotee, Ram Dass was told to tell the truth and love all. Another follower, Larry Brilliant, was told his destiny was to work for the World Health Organization to help eradicate smallpox. Despite incredible challenges, Larry fulfilled his destiny, as did Krishna Das and Ram Dass.

When Mike was telling me these stories, I said, “I wish someone would tell me what my destiny is. I really would like to have a clear message of what my dharma is, of what I was sent here to do.” I mean, I have a good idea, but it would be nice to actually hear it directly from a guru. I have been told that when you do ask and receive such a message, you must be ready to receive and fulfill it.

After our conversation, I spent time walking alone reflecting. In fact, each day I spent time walking behind the other two, chanting mantras, and focusing on sending out the energy of light and love to the world. As I was walking and going within I began to notice the sounds of nature around me. The buzzing of the bees, the wind flowing through the fields of spring flowers, birds chirping, and then I started to hear a faint jingle. The sweetest little jingle that was so delightful.

It took a moment, but I soon recalled that the jingle came from a metal heart I bought at the Abby of Santa Maria di Cerrate which was restored into a museum and was right along our path the day we hiked from Torchiarolo to Lecce.

I spotted the metal heart in the museum gift shop. It was painted red and the word LOVE was painted in white with a gold outline on front and back. When I inspected it, I heard that harmonious little jingle and decided I must buy this heart to remind me to love. I tucked it into my fanny pack for safe keeping until I could move it to my backpack to take home as a keepsake. That heart got lodged into the fanny pack in a way that it did not jingle, and I forgot it was still in my fanny pack until it started to sing to me that afternoon two days later.

That dulcet jingle was sending me the message of what I was sent here to do, and it was singing to me, “Maria, you were sent here to LOVE. To love yourself. To spread love, to be love, to practice loving kindness for all beings. You have intuitively known it all along, and now you can’t deny it, you must live it. That is what you were sent here to do, LOVE.”

I kept the heart in my fanny pack and each time I heard it as I was hiking, the corners of my mouth curled up into a sweet SMILE, and I sent more vibrations of love and light out into the world.

Message received. ☺ I’m ready!