With a little help from my friends…
There have been a few times where Steve and I found ourselves stressed, lost, and grumpy and God has seemed fit at that very moment to let us know He’s still watching over us.
In Mont St. Michel, we had had a long (lost) day and we were entering the city when a bird flew over and did a major CRAP on my head. A nice family speaking English(!) helped me clean up. We found out they were from Seattle, great fellow- Christians, and they included us at their dinner. Thanks Harriet, Ken, Ray, and Mom for making our day!
Just arriving in Montalcino and wanting some connection, we heard Bea talking with her daughter Paige at the outdoor cafe in front of our building. We found out they hailed from Burlington, North Carolina and this was their 10th visit to Montalcino! I took notes when they talked of the “best” of everything we should try. Jim, Bea, Paige, and Michelle shared so much of themselves with us. Paige sings in her UCC choir back home, and was missing Easter too.
There was the vacationing Sheriff from Poway who patrols 4S ranch whom we met at the 2nd wine tour. There were the college girls in Vernazza who were also looking for a room. They happened to be from Pt Loma Nazarene and were good friends with Tyler Kuehl from the Church of Rancho Bernardo.
Even KC and Jonathan’s friends, Jenn and Mike and their new baby Logan in La Spezia, were welcoming on a rainy Sunday.
More signs of amazing grace.
Beautiful, breathtaking, and…”Coast, we are nearly out of gas!” Due to all of the switchbacks, we almost ran out of gas. We arrived and had a great hotel and an awesome italian meal and a long walk around Parma before we headed to our reservation at 
sights in town with fewer tourists as it was near closing. With the start of Easter week and school breaks, this place is bedlam.
All is NOT glamorous in the world of travel, and we find that we either love or hate 
Yes, right out of a picture postcard, this amazing Abbey sits in the middle of the bay, with the tide coming in and out. It started way back in the 700′s by a monk who heard voices (“if you build it , they will come”). This is a real homage to the faith of so many who toiled through tremendous obstacles to create something on a rock in the middle of the water. . . and with no electricity, cranes, power tools – just dedication and alot of talent and innovation. Could we build something like this on one of the Coronado Islands off San Diego today?
I was thrilled to actually stay on the island in one of the few hotels, and thanks to the generosity of my church, to ask for a special room – one with an awesome view! The Abbey itself is incredible to tour. Reading the book “The Pillars of the Earth” before, really made this place come alive for me (thanks, Joe Hewitt). Of course, there were a trillion steps which I took one at a time with my bum knee, but nothing was gonna stop me from this experience. Steve was so patient.
The photos, testimonies, and mementos of those who served really came alive in the museum presentation and on the field of green that over looks the Omaha Beach. While 3 of our parents served in this war, they were fortunate to serve in other locals: Barbara in Washington D.C., George in Africa and Brazil, and Joe went to China. War is different now in so many ways…Steve was in Vietnam…and that was different too. Unlike most other countries, service in our military is honored; it is not just a job but a commitment. But the risks are great. We were taken with the fact that the crosses we saw represented young people who gave up their futures so that others could have one. And so many loved ones left behind to grow old without them.