for my children~the importance of forgiveness

If you harbor any resentment, if you are angry with any person or situation, it is best for you, them, and everyone else if you work it out, make it right, and forgive them. It is also important if you can ask for their forgiveness.  Oftentimes we hurt others without meaning to.  Even if we feel we are wrongly accused, or mistreated, if possible it is helpful to ask for forgiveness.  We never know the impact of our actions or sometimes even our presence on another person.

Say for example we have an acquaintance who has always been rude to us.  We have never done anything to hurt them.  Still they continue this behavior.

We don't know how it feels to be them.  Maybe we remind them of someone else who was really cruel to them, just because of our hair color, or demeanor.  Maybe every time they see us they feel sad, remembering how is was to be so mistreated.  How can we possibly know the effect we have on others?  We can't always know.  This may be an extreme example.  Still it is best to get forgiveness and be on good terms with all people.
 
If you try and you can't succeed, then just forgive, let go, and move on.  And mentally, not verbally ask for their forgiveness.

Remember this: every person, every situation, every bad experience you have is a teacher.  It is an opportunity for you to learn something.  So ask yourself, what can I learn from this?

for my children~grace

Dear Sky, Annabel and Shawn,

This is my first in a series I will be writing to you over the next few years.  It has occurred to me that there are some things I want to tell you, some life lessons I hope will help you as you grow up. These are things I have come to learn as I have lived my life.  I hope you find them helpful.
Love,
Mom

Grace is always there.  Sometimes, we just need to get out of the way.  It's our ego that gets us in trouble.  It's good to pray to God and ask for what we want.  It helps us to get clear about what we are trying to manifest in our lives.  But sometimes, instead of praying, and acting like a bit of a beggar, we might try considering that God knows, and sees us going through our lives.  He sees our struggles. And maybe then we can try to go on with our business, living our lives the best that we can, and trusting that we are indeed in good hands.

It seems to me that Grace will flow more readily to us when we have a humble heart.

corner view~favorite plate

The large blue plate, made by a potter, with imprints of real leaves, a gift from my sister and her husband, years ago, is by far my favorite plate.
I have it pictured here with some close runner ups.  And in fact some are bowls.

Whenever we have a party it is a reason to bring out our pretty dishes and serving bowls.  Mine are a blend of the old and the new, ranging from crystal garage sale finds to Japanese glass bowls to a Boleslawiec dish from Poland, that I found in a local thrift shop here.  How about you?

summer in castellini

A country journey to a tiny town.  Lunch with the family.  And drives.  Oh, the drives!

the end of a day

At the end of our day that started in Monteriggioni, after Sky and I had spa time (she went into every sauna and steam room, I stayed behind in the lounge room, reading magazines and sipping fruit juice, the spas were too hot for me), we walked around our town looking for a new restaurant, exploring our little town.  The kids were kind of grumpy.  Some moments get hard for them, all together, in one room, in a foreign country.  But it all worked out okay.  We returned to the restaurant we had eaten in the night before, and had a lovely meal.  I had the twisty spaghetti.  Then we walked to the town center and watched the World Cup final game with the locals.  By then, everyone was all smiles.  

monteriggioni, and later in the day

After our trip to Monteriggioni, we drove back to Colle di Val d' Elsa and took the kids out for lunch in the center of town.  Gary and I walked down our quiet street, hand in hand, to the town park.  The kids were in front, leading us on side of the road, a narrow stone sidewalk that at times dissappeared, only to pick up again once the curvy street allowed the space.  There we ordered lunch and sat in the shade of the trees, watching the people, the birds, a few leaves scattered on the cobblestone, nothing at all, and yet everything.  I ordered a salad with mozzarella.  The cheese was almost as big as a baseball, and tasted so fresh, like it had been made that day.  After some time the kids and I were ready to return to the hotel.  Skylar and I went to the spa, but Gary was happy to stay with the townsfolk, sipping his lemon soda on a hot afternoon.

Sometimes there is a moment on a family vacation where one parent gets down time. That is how he got his moment, some much deserved solitude, in a small town in Italy.

monteriggioni

On day two, in Colle di Val d' Elsa, we had a lovely breakfast in the hotel.  Carrot-orange-apple juice, eggs, apple cake and lots of fresh fruit.  Then we ventured to Monteriggioni, taking the back roads, following the signs and driving on through many circles, taking in the beautiful views of farms and wineries.  We found the town, a fortress on a hill, and parked the car.  We walked up a lavender-lined pathway to find a large rounded doorway, enough to fit a person on horseback easily. Monteriggioni is a little stone world, with few tourists, a couple of old ladies sitting out on benches, some very artistic shops, a church, a restaurant.  Our favorite shop sold all sorts of unique household items and the most beautiful pottery. I am saving up to get some for us.

colle di val d' elsa

After leaving Venice we took a train to Florence, where we rented a car and drove to a small town in Italy called Colle di Val d' Elsa.  It is a quiet, small town in the heart of Tuscany.  It was a welcome respite after the crowds in Venice.  Our first day the kids rested in the hotel while Gary and I went exploring on a road with few cars.  We found out about local hikes from the office of tourism.  Then we took the kids out to dinner and Shawn had the best homemade pasta I had ever tried.  The noodles were homemade, thick, and twisted together into irregularly shaped strips. The restaurant was a walk across the street from our hotel, and we didn't know it then, but it would become our go to during our stay in this quaint town.  After dinner the kids wanted to get gelato and so we ventured into the center of town, a five minute walk from out hotel.  There we found all the locals, gathered in the town square, watching soccer on a big screen television under the stars.  I had a moment that night, sitting in the crowd, watching the game with all the Italian people.  For that hour, I was one of them.