Feeling At Home

I have so much to talk about...so many thoughts and stories and feelings to process, but for now, a quick little story.

That guy that I like so much and I spent three weeks in May in Europe...he was working the first 12 days in Germany and Austria, guiding 150 people through a concert tour.  I'll write about it soon but know that God was present...but so was Satan and while parts were beautiful, parts were hard.

But again, God WAS present.

On the 12th day, he put everyone on a plane for home and he and I hopped a short flight to Rome...and from the moment we landed, it felt like home.

The language?  Home.

The food?  Home.

The people?  Home.

The whole way they live?  Home.

We both got teary eyed as we drove towards the historical center and once in our hotel, swung open the doors to our piazza.

Home.

Here is the difference between Italy and where I live in America.  Where I live, life is full of garages and streets.  Italy is full of piazzas.

All streets end every few blocks in a piazza...or little square.  And the thing about piazzas is that people gather in them.  You walk...and then you stop.  You greet people around you.  You talk, laugh, cry, wave your arms, maybe eat some pasta or gelato.  You look around, hesitate for a moment, settle in a bit and then go on your way.

Piazzas are a way of life.  A social experience.  A reminder that life IS hard, that work IS hard, that problems DO exist...but they are also a reminder that we are not here to do it alone.  That part of making this life bearable is who we surround ourselves with and who we choose to let in.

I realized while I was there that I want our little house on our little street (and our garden) to be like a piazza.  I want people to want to gather here, to feel comfortable, to be fed, to feel like they belong.  I want them to feel God's love, to sit for a bit, to relax, to breathe.  I want it to be social and fun and joyful.  

And so, that is what we will strive to do again this summer.  To be a piazza to those who need it.

I miss everything about Italy...but I'm going to live like I am there until I can return again.

=0)