Just Ask

I have my poles.  I have my shoes.  I have my desire.

I could go on a hike but.......

It needs to stop raining.


Mount Subasio looms in the not-too-distant background.  It's a destination I have been dreaming about re-visiting since returning from the Camino.  I know where I want to go and I am, much to my amazement, ready and able to physically take it on but.......it rains, the sun comes out, it rains again, making planning a day hike impossible.  So, I will have to wait it out.  The Eremo will be waiting for me.  St Francis hung out there in the Thirteenth Century, talking to the birds, and things haven't changed all that much since so I can wait a few more days.  I just want to get on the road and I need some new stories soon.

I spent a month here, on my own, six years ago.  I came back with more stories than F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I want more.  I'm a glutton for a good story.

In the meantime, I'm getting back my Assisi Mojo and making each day a happening.  I am grateful for the strength that allows me to make it up and down the hills that the town is known for without breaking a sweat.  This is one very beautiful place to be, rain or shine.  The apartment that I rented is in a fabulous neighborhood.  I could not have been more fortunate. All the elements are ever-present. Narrow cobblestoned roads, gracious building facades, complete with blooming flowers in pots on walls and beside doors.  The smell of umbrian wood fires coming from cozy homes.  Church bells.
Caffes, trattorias and pizza.  Any day now, my eyes may totally jump out of my head from being overwhelmed.  I'm waiting for my pulse to slow down so that I can simply enjoy the gift I have been given in arriving here safely.  I have been granted graces and graces I plan to use.

I'm grateful for people who have been so kind, old friends and new.  I'm grateful to the staff in the trattoria on the corner who came to my aid last night as a can of tomatoes needed to be opened when the kitchen at the apartment was lacking a can opener.  No problem.  Slippers on feet, can in hand, I ran up the street and was directed to the chef who was only too happy to help.

There's something so lovely about being open and honest with people, no matter where in the world we find ourselves.  I had a minor emergency, and I needed help.  I have no idea how to ask for a can opener in Italian but I do know that for every crisis, there is someone who is willing to help if we just ask.

And now, I'm asking you God......please make it stop raining.  My journey awaits me.  It's time.

Sono Qui.....Again

After two days dedicated to travel and one complete night and day without a minute of sleep, I'm back in Italy.  My beloved Assisi welcomed me with tears and then, when the drizzle stopped, with the sunsets that are capable of breaking one's heart.

I am here for good reasons, most of which can only be understood by those who have faith in God and willingness to assign great things to a simple word. Grace.

It is grace that prompted my idea to come here and it was grace that spirited me on when I almost had to ditch my plans.  My plans?  No.....this whole thing is and never was, "my" plan.  It was masterminded by God, trust me.

Six years ago, following my mother's death, I came to Assisi, alone, for a month.  I needed to get away, to be able to mourn without troubling anyone.  I needed a safe and peaceful existence and was heeding the words of the hospice social worker who told me that I did not have to live in my father's world following the death of my mother.  It was here, in Assisi, that I spent the most magical of times with my recently deceased mother, joined by her mother.  Together, we worked it out and forever will I remember the strength that grew with each of the hours during those days. And, for the past six years, I have lived in my father's world and have done my noble best to make it a happier one for him.

I'm not going to fill this page with woes so suffice it to say that my father is now six years older, just turned 97 in fact, and his days of independence have come to an end.  I prayed. I prayed a lot.  And my prayers were answered and a plan of action, so beyond my ability to fashion it, became a reality.  Had I not taken myself away, had I not received the gift of grace, my father's future would have been very different and while he may have thought otherwise, his life would not have been as safe and as happy as I am sure it will be very soon.

So, here I am.  This time, I am not alone.  I traveled here with a remarkably young 81 year old friend, one who has had health problems but still has vitality and a desire to live her life to the fullest.  My pal Jenny will be with me for two weeks and next week, will be attending the highly regarded Italian language school here in town.  It has been a dream and she will fulfill it.  I've given her a grand tour and tomorrow, she will venture out alone and I will pursue some of the things I have come here seeking.  My hiking clothes and shoes are at the ready and my heart is ready for whatever comes.
I'm on the cusp of another Camino.  I have my own hopes and dreams and I know that I am ready for the next five weeks and that when I return to my home, I will be refreshed and more resilient.

But now, for some physical and mental rest.