Nighttime May Provide Holy Invitations …
I consider myself a “morning person.” I love early mornings and believe I’m most productive then. Honestly, I feel cheated out of the best part of my day if I sleep in. To prepare to get up early, I generally eat dinner before 6:00 and like to be in bed early. That’s my normal Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, routine.
It didn’t take me long to change that behavior, however, when we were in Europe. Cities come to life after the lights go down. Many restaurants don’t even open for dinner until 7 p.m. (I observed no early-bird senior specials during our recent European adventure!)
A few days ago, I looked through photos Ron took in Florence and Venice, Italy, and thought about the vibrancy of European city nights. I recalled while we were there, we often ambled along crowded streets after dark and often didn’t eat dinner until around 8:00 p.m.
While going through Ron’s photos that day, I paused to read a post from Ann Voskamp’s The Daily (Good) News Letter. A quote from her guest, Alicia Britt Chole caught my attention,
Your nights are filled with holy invitations to grow your love for God. Love is refined—it is made purer and richer—through trust.
The massive and beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore sits in the heart of Florence.
I hope you’ll enjoy these nighttime photos from Florence and imagine walking along the piazza with other awestruck tourists, strolling along a cobblestone street, or lingering over a delicious dinner at one of the many sidewalk ristorontes.
Ron took this photo from the balcony of our third-floor bed and breakfast in Venice. This was an especially nice place since it was in a quiet family neighborhood rather than a high-tourist area. After dark, the square came to life with live music and local couples, dressed in their finest, dancing gracefully on the piazza. Such beautiful sights and sounds!
St. John of the Cross, a 15th Century Spanish mystic and reformer, wrote of the “dark night of the soul.” We’ve all had them. Seasons when our worlds seem turned upside down, and our faith may even tumble precariously about with the difficult circumstances. If you are currently in one of those “dark” times, I hope this stained-glass artwork depicting Jesus blessing a woman will bring a certain amount of comfort to your soul and remind you
Blessings on your journey,
