Assaporare La Giornata

Today marks one year since the last chemo treatment. This day last year my hair had a chance to begin growing. Happy birthday, hair! It’s time for a haircut soon!

Keep calm and savor the day is the title in English. Our breakfast in Venice had a “keep calm and…” phrase on their sugar packages each morning.

We saw other signs such as this one.

Venice was a way to get home with less expensive airline tickets. It’s never been a place that we’ve had on our list to see. What a surprise! We loved Venice. Our apartment was a hidden jewel. Our view from our windows was the Guglie Bridge. Pronounced (Gug=hard G, long u, silent G)- (Li=Lee)- (E= yay) Gu-lee-yay. We learned by a local hearing us say it incorrectly, then correcting us.

Everything is moved throughout the St Lucia by boat. Taxis use boats and are a very expensive way to get around. A water taxi to and from the airport is $140-180 euros – one way. (We took the city bus to the stopping point for vehicles, then walked. Thank goodness we know how to walk many kilometers per day. The boat traffic is crazy.

Bridges everywhere. – large and small.

We had no idea what to do in Venice except to ride on a gondola. (Couldn’t talk them into singing to us.) Toby, our driver, was a young man who has grown up in Venice and learned to steer one of these at an early age. (He’s going to be a daddy in one month.)

We are lovers of blown glass. The island of Murano, known for Italian glass, was a boat ride away. So many masters of the art on this island. A glass shop, one after another showing their pieces.

Peggy Guggenheim, an art addict, as she called herself, lived in Venice. Her home is now an art museum showing many pieces of her collection such as several by Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Bacci, and others.

Walking through the different Campos (Plazas) and looking at all the old buildings and hearing the church bells never gets old in the European cities.

The food was classic Italian with several courses.

And, of course, we couldn’t think of a better way to end an amazing trip. More Opera – Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and others all in one night.

Assapora la giornata – savor the day, wherever you are. Are you savoring your day? What does that mean to you?

There is so much enjoyment that comes from cultivating and savoring our relationship with God, the enjoyment of the big and little things in life he gives us each day.

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”. Psalm 126:3

We have been blessed to see so many different cultures, experience their foods, hear their stories, and we savor each of those experiences. Yes, Vicki, this hat has traveled and has so many stories if it could talk. (A gofundme might get set up to purchase a new hat, right?!)

As we inch our way back to the USA for another round of tests, we savor this time and all the Lord has done. We are thankful for the team of doctors God has provided and have helped make these times away possible. We savor the times with all our family and friends, and look forward to coming home to you all. And we savor all the prayers for us over this past year and a half.

Savoring the days. We are on the 11 hours and 30 minute flight home. Sit back and relax, they say. So, I think I’ll watch Sound of Music for a few hours while Jay looks for a Lionfish movie, James Bond, or a war movie like “Downfall”. Thanks for traveling with us. Until next time….

Blessings, Jay and Kelly