sun day...the eighteenth

and then...there was sun 

Sunday

the clouds cleared and the rain and the fog and the lag...we have been walking around in 
for a week that this day marks 

lifted

and the glory of the mountain made itself present

and we walked to the next little town up the mountain
Crespano del Grappa
for 10:00 Mass

and then walked through the Sunday street market afterwards

(Mass in our little town wasn't until 11)

our Paderno Annunciation bell tower

 a sun dial on the side of the church in Crespano

the time was right on!

works well on a sunny day.. but what about every other day?!!?

to enter the church we had to walk through the market already active in the streets and piazza

it felt like walking through the 'money changers outside the temple doors'
but as we walk into church
it is as any Sunday morning....full of people and reverent

the baldachin in both the churches we've gone into so far reminds me of a crown

the dynamic priest was warming up the congregation with song
Don Francesco...

Mass was in Italian

the homily was in Italian

and even in Italian...I can still cry

I couldn't understand a word of his homily

but I knew the readings

could recognize 'Samuel Samuel'

as the priest and one of his little altar servers 'acted out' 'the call'

Don Francesco cued the organist to play God calling 'Samuel Samuel' 

and the young girls choir responded with their young voices like angels...."Samuel Samuel"

so three times we heard the choir sing 'Samuel Samuel'

and then the fourth time the priest looked intently at the congregation

and I heard him say clearly as if addressing me in Inglese "now insert your own name..."

and he turned to the organist and the music played 

and the whole church erupted...

with each and every different name

to the music of the call of God 

to "Samuel Samuel "

it was beautiful

and I wept

and then after communion

as I walked back to my pew

in the marble floor I see

the first...of my Italian hearts...

He knows I am here...

and

...He still loves me....

after Mass we explored the Sunday market

bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner....
and orange tulips...

yes two of those bunches of tulips wrapped in white towards the top back....

I hoped we'd have a vase back home...

but 

there wasn't!?!

so

I took a large water bottle

and cut it in half

tada....

a beautiful clear vase!

I did some laundry

and hung it in the sun....to dry....

and then we drove up into 
and down and around 
and back and forth 
through the mountains....

the largest bell tower is the tower of Crespano...where Mass and the market were
the small tower to the right is our Paderno (Annunciation) bell tower
and the large building in the background in far left of the photo is CIMBA
the places we walk...

the same view from further up the mountain
the large tower to the right of the tree is the Crespano bell tower
the bell tower in the middle of the photo is our Paderno Annunciation bell tower
and CIMBA is the largest looking beige building in the far left background

and with an absolutely glorious sunset.... this first week in our new home away from home finishes

the sun directly behind the Crespano bell tower...

on the street where we live

entering our gate....