Life's Simple Pleasures

On this recent trip to Italy, all tolled, we slept in 5 different beds in 3 weeks.  We made picts of 4 of the five, and here is #1:

The beds were pretty good.  Or maybe we were too tired to notice, but we slept pretty well.
Thank you L^rd for good beds and for sleep.

Ever think about sleep?  We pass one-third of our lives asleep.  Hmm.   I have written about this before.

Sleep is a simple pleasure, but for the sleepy it is of great value and irreplaceable.

For the thirsty, something to drink is of great value and irreplaceable.

For the hungry something to eat is of great value and irreplaceable.

G^d gives us all simple pleasures.

Do we express appreciation for the simple?

The Most Famous Site in Italy

Italy is a tremendous country for history buffs.  Most everything there has historic significance, since the city was founded around 750 BC.  Of course many significant sites were destroyed in the famous fire, much more was "re-cycled" into newer structures.

Florence is one of the most famous cities in Italy, with many wonderful sights that will be shared in future posts.  Florence has the statue of David in the Academia Museum, plus one of the most beautiful buildings in the world in Il Duomo.

But, the most famous site in Italy is this one:

Recognize it?

Of course you do, it's the most famous site in all of Italy!!

This is the Michelangelo Piazza in Firenze (Florence). Now you know?

It is... 

The site of Kim Khardashian and Kanye West's wedding!!    Geez, please try to stay current.

To be honest, we didn't know this until after we had left the city.  Bummer.  Brenda and I doubtlessly would have done something to try to capture the magic of Kimye's moment.  We would have renewed our vows or something at least.

Yes, Kimye represents every couple's dream.  They are in love, committed deeply to each other.

I give them one year.  But I hope I am wrong.

Kimye are looking for significance in all the wrong places.  I don't think I need to elaborate.

Significance is not in who you are... but who you know!  No kidding!

Until a person has a deep, growing relationship with the G^d of the Universe, everything else, includiung "true love or tu blave", is but a pale substitute.

Universal Soldier- Universal Toys

For one reason or another, we saw a lot of toys on this trip to Italy.  Here's a sampling.

These above are antique toys displayed in the Bologna library. I was surprised at how similar they were to modern toys.  And by toys I do NOT mean video games.

The best toys stimulate the imagination, then depend on the user to add information.  The creativity required is part of the play. Old toys have stood the test of time, as have old people.

The best teachers stimulate the imagination and then depend on the user to keep thinking about the issue.  That is really WHY Jesus taught in parables, NOT because they are "memorable stories".

You read a parable, then the more you reflect on it, the more you see.

Give it a try.  Far from simple stories indeed.

Hobbling Across Italy on One Foot…reprise

My trips recently have been plagued with illness.  In Africa, our first trip up north to Vic Falls and the great Chobe Park was delayed by a severe kidney stone.  Our third trip up that way was preceded by only one day by a severe attach of gout.

So, I was thrilled to launch on this 3-week trip, healthy, fit and feeling great.  I made it through the CRU Summer Project briefing in Dallas just fine.  So far, so good.

I made the trip over and landed in Rome and felt just fine.  Our first morning in Italy for this trip, we had a great visit ahead.  One of the descendents of Rome, a family who dated themselves among the founders of the city, had volunteered to give us a private guided tour of the Colosseo (Coliseum- and NO not Coleman Coliseum).  He was delayed, so we killed time with a visit to a near by three-layer church whose lowest parts dated to the first century.

We were waling along on the uneven cobblestones that are common.  To our left was the Indoor Practice Facility used by the gladiators for training (dating a few years before they became popular for football).  As I took in the sights, I failed to see the pothole, and rolled my left ankle inwards.

I mentioned this earlier in the blog on T.R.I.C.E., but it was long enough and painful enough to mention again.

Ouch that hurt MORE than usual.  In severe cases i would have Rested/Iced/Compressed/and Elevated my injury, but this was ROME, baby.  No rest, no ice, no compression for me... just miles of walking to see the sights.

My ankle swelled and on about the third day I had a gout attack.  I didn't notice the gout at first because the swelling was pronounced as was the pain.  Remember this picture?

Pretty bad eh?  That's about as bad as it got.  But for the next few days, besides traipsing around Rome, we went to Pisa, to Cinque Terra, and to Florence.

When we finally got to Bologna, my good friend Jesse offered me the use of some crutches, which I happily accepted.  At last my ankle got some relief.  The swelling quickly receded, and the ankle felt better.

We returned to Rome and left the cruthces behind.  Perhaps not the best idea I have had, but that's what I did.

The price i pay, still is that after almost 3 weeks I still have some swelling and pain.

Dumb, you think (yes).  Yes.  But sadly I do dumber things all the time.  I fail at many things, I mess up many things, and I use bad judgement on issues other than health.

And, my friends, that is why I STILL need a SAVIOUR.   Thanks be to G^d!

Expresso

Many of our friends are coffee aficionados, big time.  They would all do well in Italy, because this is the "coffeeist" place I have been.  They take coffee very seriously any time of day or night.  Coffee shops are common and expresso is available almost everywhere.  To prove the point, we had an espresso machine in our apartment in Bologna.  It took us quite a few minutes to figure out how to make it work, but persistence again pays off.

I enjoy a coffee, but this is a whole NEW level for me.  Coffee is one of lifes little pleasures, not a major one.  I enjoy caffeine, but too much makes my bladder fill very quickly.  A little is good, a lot is tough.

I am guessing that coffee is a lot like money for me.  A little is great, too much is poison.  In fact, I'd say that reflects much of Scripture.
"The LOVE of money is the root of all sorts of evil."
"It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

There's plenty more.  Why do we not check out the Scriptures on money before we spend so much effort in pursuing wealth?

I was Robbed (almost)

Mark, A Cru summer project team member, and I were chatting as we walked down the sidewalk headed for the closest gelato stand.  Brenda had met with each of the women team members, and I had met with the men, in order to chat about their experiences on the project, their lives, and their aspirations.  This was just that chat, and we were intent in conversation.

Italy has more than its share of beggars, so seeing the lady coming towards us mumbling with her left hand covered in a small blanket wasn't particularly noteworthy.  I moved to the side to avoid a collision, but she moved with me.  Odd.

The she grabbed my pectoralis and twisted HARD!   Odd.

What's happening? This had never happened in my 64 years.   Odd.

Mark stepped up and somewhat rudely I thought grabbed the lady's covered hand and... pulled it out of my pocket.  She was a pickpocket and the pinch was her way of distracting me from her pulling my wallet.

Mark saved my wallet by his mindfulness and quick action.

Mark was paying attention; I was distracted.

Such is life.  I am so often distracted by so many things...

So distracted that I fail to see Satan waylaying me much more seriously than a few dollars in a wallet.

How about you?

Grafitti

Italy is THE place for art.  I guess then, it is no surprise that graffiti here is taken to a whole new level.  The second photo here is on the side of a building in Bologna.  But, it can be anywhere and everywhere.  Some of the metro trains are covered in graffiti.   I have been told that some of the Universities offer classes in graffiti.

Of course the real art is out-of-this-world.  The buildings are artful.  The streets are artful.  The fountains are artful, as are the bridges, the parks, the streets.  If you are an art fan, Italy has to be highest on your bucket list of destinations.

I am astounded by the talent of the Italian artists, and admittedly I know NOTHING of art.  I do recognize beauty when I see it, which is why I married Brenda.

All talent is G^d given.  It may be developed through training and practice, but it is a gift from G^d.

You may not be a gifted graffiti artist, but G^d has given you something. 

What is it?

What are you doing with it?