Italy – Page 2 – Music. Life. Joy.

September 3, 2021

Then. Now.

When I started my RPP program back at the end of February it was with the expectation that I would go all out for six months before we flew off to visit family in Europe.

After a solid six months, I anticipated being totally okay with taking a break from at least some of my new lifestyle choices. I mean, no way was I going to Switzerland and Italy and not having any pizza or pasta or fondue or (fill in the blank)!

So, today I realized I’ve passed that six month point and there’s no trip to Europe on the horizon. And I think this may be why I’ve been feeling resistance and restlessness with my program.

A part of me knows this is the moment when Ramesha and I should be at a cafe in downtown Lugano having caffè macchiato and a brioche. Or enjoying an amazing pizza on the piazza in Assisi. Or eating lunch at Silvio’s and dinner with the Lo Menzo’s.

I know the resistance will pass, but in the meantime I can’t help but be a little sad.

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020

Rinascerò, rinascerai

“I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn.”

I shared this on Facebook earlier today, but I can’t leave it alone just yet; I guess I need to share it also on my blog. Here’s what I wrote this morning, which still really speaks to me…

I am so deeply moved by this song and this video. I lived in Italy and the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland for four years and I love it deeply. I’m profoundly grateful to these songwriters for giving us a way to channel the intense emotion of these times to an uplifted vision of emerging from death and struggle into rebirth. 🙏

There’s something very reassuring to me about the fact that this song — which powerfully affirms rebirth and renewed faith — is making such an impact in the lead up to Easter. Coincidence? I don’t think so. 💗

I’ll Be Reborn, You’ll Be Reborn

I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn.
When all this ends,
we’ll see the stars again.

I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn.
The storm that’s holding us in its grip
bends us, but it will not break us.
We were born to challenge fate,
but each time it was us who won.
These days will change our days,
but this time we’ll learn a bit more.

I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn

I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn.
Embraced by great skies,
we’ll have faith in God again.
In the silence there’s a breath of fresh air,
but I’m scared for this city of mine.
We were born to challenge fate,
but each time it was us who won.

I’ll be reborn, you’ll be reborn.

February 11, 2020

Firefly memories

Native Californian that I am, I had never seen a firefly until I traveled to Italy for Ananda’s Oratorio choir tour in 2000.

Midway through the tour we stayed at the Villa Sacro Cuore outside of Milan. This is a religious institute with beautiful gardens; the weather was warm and still, as we were there in late May. And that’s where I saw my first fireflies! There were great masses of them clustered in the dips and hollows of the garden landscape. I had never seen anything so magical in my life.

In looking for an image of fireflies for this post I happened upon this video, which transported me right back to that magical moment. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

February 8, 2020

Full moon memories

I’ve always loved the full moon but didn’t fully appreciate it until I moved to Italy. I would read in a novel how the smugglers had to wait for a moonless night or how the heroine was able to make her escape by the light of the full moon…but I couldn’t really comprehend why it would make such a difference.

That’s because having lived virtually all my life up to that point in the San Francisco Bay Area — with all its artificial light — I had never experienced the contrast of a new moon versus a full moon night.

But then I moved to Ananda Assisi, located in the rural Umbria countryside. I still remember the first time I left an evening program on a full moon night. I was enthralled as I walked home, marveling at how the moonlight could be so bright as to create shadows!

No need for a flashlight on those nights, but come the new moon it was another story entirely!

June 7, 2019

Singing in Italy

Sharing yesterday’s story has me thinking a lot more about my Italy touring experience. That brief period of my life was filled to overflowing with blessings but also fraught with intense spiritual growth. I hope to distill some of that experience into future blog posts, but for now I’ll just share a photo. Can you believe how young we all were?!?