One of the objectives of our time in Sicily was to experience and reflect on the nature of “family” as we met those relations of Denise’s family who remained in the first quarter of the last Century when a part of the family gave hugs and promises, and made their way to a land of new promise.
Sicily is a BEAUTIFUL land, with rolling hills covered with grapevines, orange groves and olive trees. We had the chance to take in the view outside the gates of the house in which Denise’s great-grandmother was born, to stop briefly in the beautiful church in which several generations would have been baptized, married and mourned. For them, it would have meant several months journey to a land they would not even have seen in photographs. It’s difficult to imagine how one could come to such a choice, but choose they did—to at least MY great good fortune!
We greeted several folk who could only be characterized as shirt tale relations, but were welcomed as received AS family. Eating pizza in the street café on our first night, or near midnight in the family pizzeria in Calmonici on our last, you see how fiercely and proudly these family ties are guarded and valued. It would be very easy to sentimentalize the relationships and the lives we found in these days, but I think it’s fair to say that what might have separated folk by the better part of a century, several lines on a family tree, and thousands of miles, melted away when dissolved in the medium of “la famiglia”. Even a middle aged American with German heritage felt right at home—wanted, welcomed, made to feel like “one of us!”
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Chuck, by chance I ran across your sabbatical "diary" and couldn't stop until I read every single day to catch up on your experiences and impressions.
I was profundly impacted by your comments on community and what that means to us as we move forward as the Church into the 21st Century.
Suzanne and I seem to be on a parallel path to many of your experiences. Just earlier this week we participated in a prayer event at our church which lasted approx. 2 hours. The experience of just being in the presence of praying brothers and sisters and just being in the presence of the Lord is one that we don't seek out enough.
I was struck by your thoughts on what it means to be in community. Community is indeed hard work. Yet I wonder if committment to community is enough for me. For me it seems that life (mine as well)is filled with broken committments and unfulfilled good intentions. My journey seems to be taking me past committment to a place that I think is closer to surrender.
For me, I think that to truly be part of community, I will need to surrender to it. Let it envelop me and simply discard self to become part and parcel of it.
Strange thoughts, but this concept of surrender has been rattling around me recently.
Suzanne and I will pray for your travel safety and that God will show you new and exciting ways to serve him in the future.
JDB
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