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As for connecting to St. Francis and digging deeper into my own faith, today was the best day so far. We first head to the hermitage on Mount Subasio. Here, maybe more than anywhere else, you can sense the life of St. Francis, his faith, and his early brothers. Assisi, the town, sits on the side of Mt. Subasio. Francis would often retreat higher up the mountain to pray.

Today, we get back into the car and drive north to La Celle. This is the second site that I would have skipped, but am immensely thankful we did not. La Celle, today, is a monastery of Capuchin monks (an offshoot of the Franciscan order). As we walk up, the resident monks are leaving the chapel after finishing their devotion and prayers. As we walk around this picturesque monastery, I wonder should we live more simply.

Today, we wander the city of Assisi, home of both St. Francis and St. Clare. First of all, Assisi is an absolutely beautiful city. Last time in Italy, in addition to Assisi, I visited Rome, Venice, Florence, and Pisa. The only city that compares in beauty to Assisi, in my opinion, is Venice. As we walk the streets, I am again reminded what I loved about Assisi. It’s beauty and charm.

It’s going to be hard to describe the day. In fact, the next several days may be difficult as Amber and I are going to many sights of faith in the life of St. Francis. Today began with Amber taking a sunrise picture as we were still flying to Italy. Sadly, I slept only about two restless hours on the flight and Amber got 30 minutes of sleep if she was lucky. We arrived in Rome at 7:30 am. Thus, the day was just beginning even as our previous day still had not ended. God, please give us a little extra to help us persevere and hopefully enjoy this first day in Italy.

It feels strange to be leaving the Redwoods because it is time to go home. One month is long enough to get use to the routine. I again, as we drive, feel as if I am not ready. This has been full 100% family time, and I love my family.