Signora Sheila

A celebration of love.

Yes, October is the month of love, at least in our house! You see, we got married just one month after we first met. (Not that we “had to” – we just wanted to be together.) We don’t even have any wedding pictures because we got married so quickly. But since we plainly didn’t have time for much courting, we’ve been making up for it with a month-long celebration ever since!

This year, we went down to our summer home in southern Italy, and ended the trip with a Chinese dinner on the way home. As usual, I forgot to take pictures. So I’ll make up for it by sharing some of the 48 anniversaries we’ve celebrated in various places. From Colorado where we married, to all around Italy!

A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.

André Maurois

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that’s ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
- Mark Twain

This poem by Mark Twain is a good summary of our 48 years together. Ours has been a life of constant change (over 48 moves) and of few earthly riches. Our pathway hasn’t been always easy, but one of tears and sorrow mixed with the sunshine and laughter God has brought our way.

But thanks be to God, we’ve had the joy of growing old hand in hand with increasing love and endless devotion. It’s been a long and lovely conversation that I hope will go on and on!

---

A celebration of faithfulness

We were able to attend the small evangelical church while we were in the village. It really is a very tiny church, and the pastor travels over an hour on winding mountain roads to get there. That’s a long journey for a little flock of only four members. He’s an inspiration!

They always ask Hubby to preach because they’re so hungry for fellowship and encouragement. “We need fresh encouragement,” they say, and we hope that our visits do encourage them.

But this small community always leaves me feeling refreshed and renewed. It can’t have been easy to see their numbers dwindle over the years, both in the village and in the church. Imagine the sadness and loss.

But the way Pastor Bruno serves his people with such love and enthusiasm is truly inspiring. As are the testimonies of the oldest members. Especially the man we call Zio or Uncle Francesco. That’s him and his wife Angelina in the photo below right.

The Zio who is 98, has been walking with God since the 1940s. Praise for the Lord has always been on his lips, even during great trials and after the loss of his faithful wife of many years.

They came to the Lord at a time when anyone who converted from Catholicism was subject to ostracism and persecution. They were even called before a judge and fined for their decision to be baptized in water. But they remained steadfast in following the Lord.

Fellow believers were scarce and often scattered, so regional gatherings were popular events. Zio Francesco often tells of their trips from the village to the city of Salerno, nowadays about an hour and a half’s drive. But few people had cars in those days. So they made the trip on foot, stopping along the way to eat and sleep in the homes of fellow believers, their small group of pilgrims growing with every stopover.

They had come to know the Lord and Savior of their lives, and no sacrifice was too great or too hard. The long walk was worth it for the blessing of being with fellow believers and hearing the Word of God.

How could anyone not be encouraged by these precious fellow believers and their pastor? They think we go to help them – but we receive much more than we give!

---

A celebration of autumn’s gifts

All in all, October was a fairly uneventful month, but special in many ways. 48 years is special. The Italian autumn brings many special things. And we were blessed with special gifts from friends and neighbors!

The air is cooler, the leaves are beginning to fall. I love autumn, even though in Italy we don’t have many pumpkins, not nearly as many colorful leaves, and few squirrels hiding their nuts. In fact, there are no squirrels around us!

But we have a lot of special things, which I’ve picture below, that make up for their lack. Olives and grapes. The dying art of hand-woven baskets. Laundry flapping in the fresh breezes. Our own hand-picked olives drying in the sun. And gifts from friends of freshly foraged mountain chestnuts, a homemade caciocavallo cheese, and 5 liters of freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil!

God has been so good and faithful all these years. And He shows His love and faithfulness in so many ways, big and small!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1

📷 Images are mine