The yoke of my travelogue

With my coming to Italy this summer of 2008

I've had the chance to reconnect with some friends;

Despite the looming weak dollar values in the market,

it has drawn me to fly and pick up my Italian so far.

The hot spells and overcrowded Milan Central Station,

have really made me struggle through the rush hours

Italians and other cultures continue to travel elsewhere

an interesting view, a melange of plans and destinations.

When I reached the city of Piacenza, my first leg for a visit

had a bit of recalling my sense of mem'ry and direction;

seemingly a problem as I tried to trace back the way

that leads to the place where I'd stay for a while.

It was almost noontime and I was already starving then,

I walked through the cobblestones; stopped at the corner,

I found McDonald, an American fastfood known here;

I ordered some chips, chicken sandwich and softdrinks.

I walked again to find the place where I'm gonna stay,

This time I really felt being a stranger, unknown to others;

I asked some local residents about the road to get there

others didn't know but an immigrant with a foreign accent,

made me feel relieved for she knew where Via Torta was.

It was thirteen in the afternoon by the time I got there,

The community just had lunch and they're leaving then;

'siesta' time for them seemed to be an important routine,

a cultural thing, even most stores would cease their operation

taking a respite from that stretch of the day of their business.

It was in 2000 the last time I came to Piacenza, Italy;

I was with other confreres taking a one-month of study

on our Founder's spirituality, history, and missionary calls,

indeed, it was replete with interactions, sharing of thoughts,

and other insights brought to the fore - worth listening.

My two friends - Luigi and Patrizia from Malegno,Brescia

who came to pick me up and brought me to their hometown;

I was so pleased to see them and be reconnected with them,

For years had passed and our friendship was still intact and alive.

I also met their two children who're now grown ups and adolescents,

Alessandro and Claudia who're both precious gifts to the whole family;

I couldn't believe how they'd grown up as if it were like yesterday,

moulded with the ideals of faith and behaving with great respect.

It was such a memorable event that made me feel grateful about it

seeing everybody, along with Patrizia's loving parents too,

they added joy to my visit for their kindness and friendship,

truly, I was suffused with happiness and gratitude for this visit.

They drove me around the region to see other historical sites too,

We prayed together and shared our laughters as we went through

our good, ole' mem'ries made us recapture the spirit they held,

like in our hearts where we kept and pondered them with faith.

Then I took another visit to meet some new friends in Castrezzato103

It's in the same region of Brescia where our confreres come from;

again, it's a nice experience for me as I got reconnected with them

like Dave, with his parents and sister, who treated me so well;

like Luca with his parents too when Dave and I came to visit them.

We dined together, shared our experiences, thoughts and impressions

We took pictures, laughed, and visited their family relations too;

With Dave's friends around the area, it was a nice encounter, indeed,

along with a cup of Italian espresso or a beverage to everyone.

The visit I made to Dave's ailing grandmother who lives near-by,

was an opportunity to highlight God's healing grace to scarred ones

getting into the mainstream of the so-called bonding and caring

that relationship evidently caused a reaction to God's compassion.

We crossed the bridge and sailed across the awesome lake of Iseo

We attended mass at San Michele Church where we met Fr Aldo.

He's from Albania but working as a Scalabrinian missionary in Brescia;

It was a meaningful experience to meet him and be indentified with him,

like any other Scalabrinians who work with the immigrants elsewhere.

The crowning moment of all these encounters spoke volumes about love

Love in commitment or faith in such friendship that keeps our spirits up;

Joy in our hearts like spring that starts anew our journey to be with them,

as life that holds many facets, along with sacrifices at the major crossroads.