Talisman

A couple of years ago, when I was over in Germany traveling with my brother, Stefan, and sister-in-law, Abigail, my brother gave me a very special gift ~ a talisman!  A special little "good luck charm" that I carry with me often.  We were at a little souvenir shop in a little town, and while Abigail and I were inside looking at postcards, my brother was dumping all of his small change on the lady at the small shop and gathering up little gifts to give out to folks back home.  Little did I know, he was getting me a little something too!

My good luck charm is hooked to my key chain and I often take it with me when I am running as well as when I'm in the car.  I actually carried it with me through Colorado on the TransRockies course!  It was hooked inside a pocket in my pack.  Indeed, on Stage 5 when I got my asthma inhaler out for a friend who was having trouble breathing because of all of the dust, I ran the last mile with that pocket unzipped and open, and did not lose it (whew).

The significance of the talisman is this:  it features St. Christopher, who is the patron saint of travelers and children.  Well, I'm not a child, but I fell like a kid at heart.  And I travel often, and on foot, so a little looking after by good St. Christopher is much appreciated by myself.  On the back of the medallion, it says, "God protects you" in German. You can read more about the saint here.


If you are traveling in Europe, and especially in southern Germany, you will notice that the taxi drivers and even some of the buses, and many of the private citizens have St. Christopher medallions mounted on the dashboard of their vehicles or carry a St. Christopher key chain.  Someone asked me if this was strange, because he thought Germany was more of a Protestant country, when in fact southern Germany is predominantly Catholic.

My talisman has worked its way loose a couple of times and fallen off of my keychain, but it's always happened in an area where I see it and have been able to pick it up again, which I find curious and am wondering if it is the saint hinting to me to just pay a little more attention to things around me.  I think it's a very good sign that it has fallen off and I have immediately found it has come loose ~ does it mean that St. Christopher is really watching?  I hope so...  and I will continue to carry my talisman!