Breakfast at the hotel- starting our days out right!
I wish I had my camera at breakfast this morning. After a 4 AM goodbye to the rest of the eleven pilgrims, I was feeling all alone when breakfast opened at 7. Isn't that ridiculous after such a blessed and inspiring time? Part of me wanted to grab some food and come back to my room, and I am so glad that I didn't! My breakfast this morning, as it turned out, was a perfect culmination to my pilgrimage.
We teach our children, never to speak to strangers, so I am not sure why I sat at the two seater placed next to his, a stranger's, but I am ever so grateful I did. (The armed guards on just about each and every street corner here in Rome remind me that we live in a dangerous world.) I don't even remember how the conversation started, but very soon after sitting down, it did. While I am sure that he had much to do to prepare his heart and mind for the conference he would be attending, instead the two of us- two passing pilgrims were able to share our experiences, and I will be ever blessed because of it.
So too was my experience during our pilgrimage through Italy. As we made our way around to holy sites, we would spend hours around tables each day sharing incredible meals and our faithfilled insights. We would pass our plates around the table, so that we could sample each other's selections. We tried to capture and hold on to these moments with lots of pictures: pictures of the food, pictures of us and pictures from prayer. One night after we had finished dining at Ristorante Cecilia Metella, we noticed what looked like a cross behind us. In reality, it was some back lighting for a bush, but when we saw this photo, it was a reminder about how sacred this mealtime was for the 12 of us as well as for Jesus and his followers.
When our kids were growing up, this felt like holy time too. It couldn't always happen because of our busy days; sporting events, night meetings and speech practices could always draw us away, but on those nights when we could sit down together as a family and share our daily pilgrimages, we were stronger as a family. Laughing or crying while debating politics or curfews, I am all the better for those meals, which nourished my body and my soul. i hope my family feels the same way. Moreover, I am all the better for nourishing my ties with my Nebraska family on this pilgrimage. FinaIly, as a disciple, I am all the better for leaving my hotel room this morning, stepping out in to the world and listening to other people witness along the way.
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