traveling mercies

i have recently been reading a book by anne lamott entitled traveling mercies, and discovered the meaning behind this beautiful aphorism. in an old church in the san francisco bay area a group of elderly women would bless those who were embarking on a journey with traveling mercies; wishes of health, wisdom, and joy on the journey that lay ahead. as i nervously, yet optimistically begin life in italy, thoughts of traveling mercies remain prevalent in my mind.

the journey begins wednesday, january 12, 2011 at 4:15 pm when a gigantic hunk of metal that i will be contained in, will miraculously leap into the greyish blue sky and somehow manage to master the components of aerodynamics and other physics jarble, and hopefully (fingers crossed) deliver me gently into the arms of the homeland of the united kingdom. from there, the journey will only progress as i enter the land which i will soon call home (away from home, of course) and begin to assimilate into the life of an italian native. with great anticipation i await this day...let the packing madness begin.