Roman holiday (no, not the movie...)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the Lay Center in Rome.  We were met by students at the gate and guided to the dining room with torches on the ground made of wax in pie tins with very thick wicks - very Easter vigil-y! The dining room was beautifully decorated

    and the food, while not tasting like Thanksgiving, was exquisite!!! Turkey and all the trimmings!!
       We sat with Rob, his friend Avery (who we had met in Orvieto), 2 more friends of his, Kelsey and Jacovo and Kyle, one of the students at the Center from Hershey, PA! While not family, they were delightful company and we were so happy to share Thanksgiving with them.

Pat, Avery, Rob, Kyle, Kelsey and Jacovo - I am taking the picture!

     As if I don't have enough for which to be thankful, another manifestation of God's providence occurred. It is a LONG walk from the Lay Center to the street and an even longer walk to the taxi stand. Pat & I left at 9 because we wanted to get home and SKYPE the children. I was fading because of my back (and fighting a cold) We made it to the street following the torches which were still burning) and began the long trek to the taxi stand when, lo and behold, a cab came up the street, stopped as he passed us, turned around in the middle of the street ( they do that here!) and pulled  up to us. I asked if he could take us to Via Torino and he said yes! Now, you don't "hail" cabs in Rome. You have to go to a stand where the cabs wait for fares. So this was literally a God-send! Thank you God, for the little things too!!

the good, the bad and the ugly.....

     There is an abundance in my life for which I am thankful.....for Pat, my incredibly supportive and dear husband......for my family, both my birth family and my family with Pat- children and grand children.....and Pat's birth family too!.....for my friends, proximate, sometimes proximate and mostly virtual :-) who truly keep me going on this journey......for the people in my life who have inspired me and who continue to inspire me to recognize what is sublime and to work for the coming of the Kingdom.......for the gift of faith and the talents with which the Lord has blest me.....for this unparalleled opportunity to live for a time in the land of my ancestors......for the freedoms afforded me in the land of my birth.....dear Lord, I will never be grateful enough for all you have given me! I am even grateful to the Villa Borghese museum which would not exchange our tickets to tomorrow.(I never heard of such a thing!!) It gave me a chance to write this entry!!

To all my musician friends - Happy feast of St. Cecelia, our patron!!
Ciao and grazie

musings......

Everyday is an adventure in Italy, mainly because we are always wondering if we will end up where we set out to go! lol!
     Yesterday, we saw a wonderful exhibit on the Sistine ceiling complete with original sketches by my boy, Michelangelo (see Facebook). It was near the Oratory of S. Francis Xavier del Caravita where we attend liturgy. The people there - clergy and congregants - have been a wonderful faith community support for us. The clergy s so learned and kind and they have welcomed me as a cantor and have welcomed us as a part of their community. They were a lifesaver and They are cherished new friends! Michael J. - so grateful for your recommendation!
      Then we went to the Center - the people there have been so helpful and welcoming - they couldn't have been better new friends. Then we came home to our flat and the portiere and his wife have been wonderful new friends (she's the cleaning fairy!)
     Tomorrow, I will play and sing Mass at the Lay Center in the morning and have Thanksgiving dinner with them in the evening . Rob has been a steadfast friend and companion this whole time. Donna and her staff have been so welcoming that I almost forget about that L-O-N-G walk up the hill to get there -lol!! We have been SO BLEST and have felt the Hand of God in all of our endeavors(even the tumble down the Duomo steps in Orvieto!!)
     Feeling a cold brewing for the last 5 days, I took a nap.....the cold is still brewing and threatening to become full blown! :-( (cough - atchoo!) CR@P!!!
    Oh yes, there are 2 new angels in the firmament of heaven - here are some fun photos we took the last day my sister was here - there was a huge set of sculpted wings in the window and we couldn't resist! LOL!

my brother-in-law, Patriel (who looks more like Santa Claus with wings!)

....and Lindrael!

     musing......I am grateful for toilet seats - there are precious few of them here.....I am grateful for our elevator......I am grateful for the pastichierie across the street and the Tavola Calde next door. I am grateful for all too infrequent seats on the bus......I am grateful for all the incredibly neat shops that I have seen and in which I have bought wondrous things......I am grateful for all the art surrounding me....everywhere.....I am grateful for taxis when my back just can't walk anymore......I am grateful for how my cooking tastes over here - my husband says it's as good as any restaurant.......but mostly I am grateful for family, here and at home, and friends, old and new, here and at home, who have made this stay an amazing experience through their presence, help and concern, both in person and by Facebook and email.....there is more, but I am faint with hunger and will continue tomorrow....

Bolsena - a family affair

     Yesterday, my sister and I with our husbands took a trip to Bolsena to see our family. Our grandfather, Nazzareno, left 2 sisters in Italy (Anna and Concetta) when he immigrated to the US. This family in Bolsena are the progeny of Anna and Concetta.
     It took us 6 freakin' hours to get there, by Metro, commuter train, taxi and bus (with only 1 mishap- which cost us an hour)But it was so wonderful to see our family again and introduce them to my sister, Jean! From our mother's generation, there was TILDE AND LIVIO - from our generation, there was Cesaretta, Maria Vittoria and Antonella

Tilde, Livio and Antonella

Maria Vittoria, Jean, Cesaretta and Pat K.

the altar of the miracle

    After a sumptuous meal, we went to the church of Santa Christina, a 4th century virgin martyr. This was the church where my grandfather was baptized and attended until his immigration. It is also the church of the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena, which was the impetus for the declaration of the feast of Corpus Christi.
      My cousins have made the "infiorata", carpets of flowers over which the Blessed Sacrament is taken in procession, for over 50 years as they live along the route of the procession. Cesaretta has a website showing them:
 http://www.bolsena-guida.it/eng/foto_infiorata.htm
     Then they took us to the train and showed us a MUCH shorter way to get home. We were a bit confused, but as we entered the train station in Montefiascone, we saw 3 seminarians that Pat had met at the North American College. They had spent the day there in search of a good meal. But really!!!!   What are the chances of 4 Americans meeting up with people they know from the States in the tiny town of Montefiascone!!!!
      So, we got home in 1 1/2 hours and slept VERY quickly and very well!!!
Ciao!

Yes, Virginia, there are angels...

For those of you who read my blog but not on Facebook, here was yesterday.Another prayerful liturgy at the Lay Center/ a lovely lady gave me a ride down 2 long hills to the Taxi stand where I discovered that I had brought my music bag but had left my purse at the center. So I had to tromp back UP the one hill praying the whole way that the purse was there and not in the lady's car! Well, I rang the bell and the nice lady at the desk checked the dining room and, indeed,

I had left my purse. I was just about to march up the 2nd hill when another wonderful lady came down the hill and offered to walk up and get it for me (I think she had wings somewhere because she sure looked like an angel to me!) She did and I walked down the hill to the bus and got home. Then I enjoyed  a quiet afternoon because Pat took my sister and BIL to Assisi! I watched NCIS and Criminal Minds, prepared the psalm for next Thursday's liturgy and crocheted 3 necklaces and went to the Pastichierri and bought cake! It was heavenly!!

    So today, Pat had to go in to the Center and I took the gang to see S. Maria degli angeli e martiri. It is an amazing church witha beautiful blend of old and new art (I think I wrote about it in an earlier post). Then I introduced them to the wonders of the Italian grocery store and I got my BIL to pull the cart home!!

     After lunch, we went shopping and found this wonderful little mercato off the main drag. We made a few purchases, ate some gelato and began walking home. My husband spotted us walking and, for a joke, came up to me and started to take my shopping bag. I was so startled I nearly clocked him with my cane!!! We had a good laugh!!

     Tomorrow, we go to Viterbo and Bolsena!

Ciao!!

I like playng tour guide!!

    I took  my sister and her husband to Mary Major and to John Lateran today. I had been to each church twice before, so I was able to tell them a good deal about the churches.
     We arrived at Mary Major and toured the church for about an hour. Here is an angel I missed the first 2 times.

When we left to go to the Lateran, we stood at the bus stop for ever. Not only did our bus not come by, but there were NO buses.....nor cars, for that matter. We were told that there were demonstrations blocking the roads. We could hear the shouting and the bullhorns and we could see the helicopters overhead. So we walked back to the piazza and enjoyed the beautiful day, had some gelato and began walking to the Lateran. We stopped for lunch and walked to within 2 stops of the Lateran before the buses could get through.
      We enjoyed the Lateran and I found this that I had missed the 1st 2 times.

     We were pretty pooped by then so we hopped the 2 buses back to the apartment and had some quiet time.
      Tomorrow, Pat will take them to Assisi and I will play my regular Thursday Mass at the Lay Center.

A day off!!

    Nothing special today - Pat left for class and I put Jean and Pat on a sight seeing bus so they could hit the high spots of Rome. A bus tour was perfect because Jean needs her other knee replaced, so she walks about as fast as I do.
     I stayed here and finished planning and executing the order of service for the Thursday Liturgy at The Lay Center, washed a load of clothes and hung them up to dry and made a trip to the market to get the finishing touches for dinner!!!
     Tomorrow, we are taking them to St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum!
Ciao!