An unexpected visitor

A few moments ago as I sat down to work on e-mail the land-line telephone in my room rang, a most uncommon occurrence. On the other end was the secretary of the Casa Santa Maria who called to say there was a woman at the door to see me.  Living in a country which is not my own and in a city where I only know a couple of people, I wondered who it could possible be.

When I arrived at the front door, I was both surprised and pleased to see one of the women who stayed a few days at the Casa Papa Giovanni in Assisi when I was also staying there this summer to begin learning the Italian language. We had a few conversations at table together and before I left Assisi to return to Rome she asked if she could take a picture of me outside of the Casa Papa Giovanni, the better to remember to pray for me:

She very thoughtfully stopped by today to give me a copy of the picture since she was in the area for the day. In addition to the photo, she also brought greetings from the staff of the Casa Papa Giovanni who look forward to seeing me again. Soon I shall have to take a weekend in Assisi; it will soon be warm enough to have another hike up Monte Subasio.

Much like the Hawaiians, the Italians are remarkable in that once they meet you and have a meal with you, you are very much a part of their family even if you see each other only rarely.