When in Rome...(Highlights...ENGAGEMENT?!?)

Io ritornai da la santissima'onda
riffato si come piante novelle
rinovellate di novella fronda
puro e disposto a salire a le stelle.

I returned from the holiest wave
remade like new plants
renewed from a new leaf
pure and ready to climb to the stars.

-Dante, from "Paradiso"

I should say more, and about some different things. The first is the city. Rome is CROWDED in the summer, but as "bella" (beautiful) as any city in the world. Modernity and antiquity often have a weird mix in European cities, but not so much in Rome. There aren't many bright lights but for a history buff like me it was rich in everything else I wanted (c. Bernini fountains, old churches that feel like God was actually THERE at some point, the Vatican, etc.). Speaking of "rich", one liter of water was about the equivalent of 6-8 USD...EVERYTHING costs too much.

(I should thank the good people at Fund for Theological Education for funding this trip for me, and the good folks at Trinity UCC/Chicago for making it possible that I could bring along a friend. My loyalty to BOTH is undying)

Her name is Mallorie, and in 6 years of dealings we had never been on a plane together. We all the way changed that.

Pictures above will tell the story, and I'd be more than glad to trade insights whenever we may be blessed to share the same space again. Suffice it to say, it was an awesome trip - one with little sleep, wandering the city lost at night (Rome is INCREDIBLY safe), plenty of pasta and pizza, the most walking, and getting to know a woman who -by my own selfishness- I had given only pieces of me for quite some time.

My favorite area of Rome was Piazza Navona. I knew it would be once I saw "Angels and Demons" and the Bernini fountain "Quatro Fiumi." Breathtaking imagery and symbolism. Being around Bernini and Michelangelo was inspiring in a way that most artists will understand. It's almost spiritual to witness the work of someone at their best (word to "Kind of Blue", "Songs in the Key of Life"). Being in that space made me a better writer.

International travelers will feel me here: it's easy to get caught up in a particularly Western way of seeing the world and one's self (read: arrogance). To sit on a plane for 11 hours and end up on another part of God's planet is incredible. It reminded me often of two things: 1. We as individuals are much smaller than our egos would like. Being swallowed by a city is a good feeling 2. Sometimes we need to CHILL and sometimes we need to VACATE. I needed to Vacate.

Not as remarkable was the Vatican, which although it houses the bones of the Apostle Peter and is (directly or otherwise) responsible for ALL of history, also provides a stark reminder of how Institutional Power can be over-, under-, and mis-used to create and stabilize systems of injustice. I was struck especially at how much graffiti I saw on the streets, and after asking about the church's influence on youth one friend responded, "None. The church is not present." I stared in awe at the Vatican and its stupendous museums and catacombs, only at times to find its largesse somewhat superfluous. More can be said here.

NOW FOR THE REASON YOU ARE READING THIS:
We had been there a few days, and had endured only a slight disruption in our happiness before I knew the time had come. Around the beginning of the summer I knew I would propose, and after settling all matters of significance I decided that Mallorie would accompany me to Rome. It would be a simple proposal, and when the time was right I would "know." We were at dinner in Piazza Navona, the sidewalk violinist was playing, we ate, and I got on one knee. I am engaged now, and I couldn't be happier.

The most common question is: "Are you ready for marriage?" with an emphasis on "YOU"...I can only answer that I am ready to abandon a deep and abiding selfishness and fear that has kept important people at bay for so long. Mallorie has hung in there with me, and I am finally ready to ENGAGE. Preciate the support of the "Five Families" (@thewholehood). A new phase is beginning. Rome was the spark, but you were the laboratory.

Manhood feels good. Being home feels better. You've taken the time to read. Might as well say something. Lov.