"The City of Angels"

Each city in Italy has a title attached to it. Torino's is "The City of Angels." I sometimes can't stop myself from thinking about Anaheim, instead. Torino is something special, though. For those of you have traveled often, you know that each place has a beating heart that feeds and is likewise fueled by its people. Torino has a great heart. There is a strength that flows in these people - they have a history of resistance to enemies both without and within. Perhaps the reason I get this vibe is the fact that everyone actually looks me in the eye when I walk past.

I love the old people who walk the streets. Somehow, stooped over and aching with pains in their bones, they still find the fortitude to take their daily walks, catch up with their friends (and enemies) in the bars and cafes, and yell at each other from their windows. Half of the time when we cross paths I wish I could sit down with them to hear what they've seen and done. I suppose that's the beauty of my type of research...at times I get to do just that.

I was afraid that the archives would become droll - that eventually I would tire of looking at page after page after page. There are definitely days when my eyes start to dry out and I feel somewhat imprisoned, don't get me wrong. But then you connect that name to the event in the paper, or trace out the somewhat veiled threats of legal action between landowners and renters and the thrill of discovery makes all of that fade away. Then there are the occasional doodles of someone who got very bored at a union meeting, some of which show promising talent.

Being away from friends and family does open up a lot of time for reflection. With all of the terrible news that surrounds us every day, it is refreshing to me to step back as I observe people from yellowing documents or cobblestone streets. The thing that strikes me is that humanity is much bigger than its events or leaders. We love more than we think, and there is more goodness in one another's eyes than we may believe. I've been met with too much kindness, heard too many stories of determination, and have seen the hand of God in too many lives to believe otherwise.

So greetings from "The City of Angels," which may be more correct than I first thought.