Good-bye to Italy
We have headed back to the states from out Italy trip. It’s been an adventure and a learning experience. The trip provided a departure from our everyday life in the states and opened my eyes to a whole new way of living. So, was it what I expected?
That is the question that someone asked recently about the trip and I had to really think about the question. The answer is it was not what I expected. Then I realized that nothing in this life is ever what we expected. We have dreams and set goals for ourselves but rarely ask what obstacles or challenges will we have to face in getting to our dreams or achieving our goals.
I have learned that it not so much about the dream or goals we want to achieve but the journey in getting there! Whether it’s a trip that you wanted to make for years - much like this trip to Italy - or a dream job or dream wedding, we all have the opportunity to learn something from the experience.
So I have learned to ask myself what lessons did I learn? What did I learn about myself? What did I learn about others? What are the greatest take aways from the lessons that I learned.
Here are the lessons that I learned from our trip:
Always be prepared for the unexpected and learn to embrace it!
There is always something of beauty in everything, every person and every circumstance
Never under estimate the power of kindness, whether you give it or someone else shows it to you along the way
Reflecting back on the lessons learned I realize that my dream of spending time in a villa in the countryside, sipping wine and enjoying beautiful evenings by the pool actually happened! My dream of traveling to the wine country and visiting wineries did happen! My dream of having a cooking lesson at the villa actually happened! So in the mist of all the other detours that happened along the way, finding beauty in everything, every person and every circumstance was a lesson learned.
We stayed in Città della Pieve, Fabro which is a quaint little hilltop town in Umbria with limited shops, restaurants, and markets for shopping. We were situated about 2 hours between Rome and Florence by car and our villa had the most breath-taking views! I was able to wake up every morning to these views and enjoy the smell of rosemary and lavender. And the evenings gave the most beautiful sunset on the patio! We toured and taste wines from two great wineries - Palazzo Massaini and Le Berne. We spent time in Siena, Florence and Roma and took so many amazing pictures!!
This life is short so I have to remind myself everyday to not forgot what is really important! The love we have for Christ, for our family, and for our friends!
Arrivederci
