I spent pretty much my entire day Saturday in downtown Nashville. It was a day for me to change my pace from rush, rush, rush to living in the moment.

My morning began with a brief Italian conversational class called, “Coffee with Guido.” This class is everything it sounds like it’d be and then some. Guido is the instructor for this class and just turned 80 years old. He’s originally from Calabria, Italy and next week will be traveling back to his home country to spend time with family for five weeks. I secretly wish he’d put me in his suitcase and take me with him. I daydream about Italy ALL THE TIME.

|Say hello to Guido.|

Guido’s been in the states for fifty years now – the last three he’s spent in Nashville. He’s a very intriguing and inspiring man. I love listening to Guido tell stories of his life and experiences. He is a tailor by trade. There’s something rather endearing about a man who has spent his life developing a trade. At just ten years old, Guido began to learn his trade and has spent a lifetime sharpening his skills. I imagine Guido as one of the finest tailors in the business. My imagination envisions that he could show Armani a thing or two:-) In my mind his home shows signs of his craft everywhere. Perhaps there are fabrics and clothing strewn all about as he works meticulously creating his masterpieces. It’s a fanciful image, right? Perhaps Guido is that talented. I don’t really know, I haven’t seen his work, but I like to imagine that he’s all that and more.

From the first moment I met Guido, I knew that we were going to be good friends and I even told him so the day that I met him. Sometimes, you just know when a person will become a good friend.

This little class is always a great reminder of the important things in life. In addition to learning the romantical Italian language, we talk about the Italian lifestyle. The Italians have a beautiful way of living in the moment, rather than always looking to the future for what’s next or the bigger, better thing around the corner. They just soak in every moment – good or bad. The Italian way of life puts the focus on family, which tends to often be accompanied by food:-)

Food has an incredible emphasis in the Italian culture and for good reason. I heard it said once that one of the most intimate things you can do with friends is break bread together (eat together). Based on Jesus’ example, I’d have to agree that you really can’t get much more intimate than breaking bread together. Uh, hello… The Last Supper!

Italy. Some day we will meet and it will be lovely. Of this, I am certain. Until then, I’ll continue daydreaming and saving pennies.

After my wonderful Saturday morning with Guido and one other kind gentleman that attended class, I walked two blocks to the Panera Bread downtown on 5th Avenue located at the bottom of the SunTrust building. This has become my new routine since the weather has been so nice. I sit out on the patio and take in life. I watch the people passing by and even listen to the conversations going on around me. Yeah, I guess you could call that eavesdropping, but if you’re talking loudly in public, that’s your fault, right? 😉

Panera has become a place for me to relax, slow down my pace of life, write and read. I spent some time reading, then I’d write, then I’ read again. No real agenda, just letting the day take me wherever it would like. You see, it’s my goal to share my story in a published book someday. In order for the book to become a reality, I must put in the hours writing. Sometimes it feels difficult to find the time, but I’ve come to realize it all comes down to prioritizing and letting go of the things of less importance.

So I wrote. Admittedly, I didn’t really write a whole lot in the way of my book, but I did journal some. I also keep a quote book by my side while I read and I filled multiple pages with quotes from the incredible book I’m currently reading. A dear friend lent me a book called Love Does by Bob Goff, which has quickly become one of my all-time favorite books EVER. A pretty hefty statement considering I’m only half way through. It’s incredible! Bob’s perspective and way of living life is simple, beautiful and yet difficult for many to actually live out. Not because the concept is difficult, but because all the other things in life blind us from what’s truly important: love. Bob breaks down various life experiences of his own and simply, comically and entertainingly gives a lesson in love. His message: love needs action, love is a verb, to love we must do.

|Source|

With the stories from Love Does coursing through my mind, I decided to take an urban walk and hunt down some food. It was, in fact, already 3:30 and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. On my walk I passed an unkempt woman on the side of the street, as she somewhat somberly shouted (if it’s even possible to somberly shout) something at me as I passed. It seemed like her effort to pull someone into conversation…anyone. As I walked by I asked what she had said and there was a long pause. As I began to cross the intersection (the light had changed for me to walk), I heard her say she was having a tough time. I turned back, looked her in the eye and said I would pray for her to which she replied with a thank you. As I walked away I kept feeling like I had done her a disservice, that I should have turned around and given her my time, just listening to whatever it was she might need to share. Instead I kept walking. I had a tentative schedule I was trying to keep – which, mind you, I had just created moments before when I decided I was going to hunt down food. My plan was to eat now so I could make it to the Vigil Mass at 5:00PM and still allow myself an hour fast before consuming the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass.

I had literally just gone from no agenda to “I’m on a mission” in a matter of moments. This change in plans, caused me to keep walking past the woman without stopping. I wonder if I would have stopped if I still felt I had no agenda. That moment has bothered me since it transpired. I had just been in the midst of reading a story about how to love better and yet I failed when presented with the opportunity because of my “agenda.” I’m certain that God was using that moment to show me we don’t do a very good job at loving well when it doesn’t fit into our agenda. Well, at least I don’t. We must choose love in every moment of every day.

I walked several blocks around the north side of downtown Nashville before circling back to Commerce Street and ended up at SATCO (San Antonio Taco Company). Always wanting to give things a fair opportunity to appeal to me, I thought I’d give the restaurant another try even though I had been underwhelmed with my first two visits. I’m convinced the novelty with SATCO lies in the hands of the 21st Avenue location next to Vanderbilt and their incredible outdoor patio. Well, that and their buckets of beers, which is a winning concept to most any college-aged kids in the area. However, because I was at the downtown location there was NO outdoor patio and the food – it was underwhelming again. Am I ordering the wrong thing or is this place just over-hyped?

Regardless, I ate more than necessary. I tried to shake the “I ate way too much” feeling as I walked back to my car, but what I just couldn’t shake was the thought of how I had failed the test of love earlier that afternoon with the woman on the street corner.

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Mass at the Cathedral of the Incarnation…ahhhh…

Something about walking in the doors of the Cathedral, takes you instantly into the presence of God. It’s evident He is present in that Church in a large way. It’s always so peaceful. The Cathedral (among other Catholic Churches) has become my escape haven. Whenever things of the world become a bit overwhelming I slip off to the Cathedral for peace, quiet, and the presence of the Lord.

|The Cathedral at Christmas time 2012|

Mass was beautiful. I will never fully be able to wrap my head around the miracle of the Mass or my complete misunderstanding of it for so many years. Mass makes everything right – or at least gives me the strength and courage I need to take on the day. Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers football coach for whom the famous Lombardi Award was named, once said, “I derived my strength from daily Mass and Communion.” Nine words which have no doubt transformed my life.

Some of my nearest and dearest friends have been placed in my life through the Cathedral of the Incarnation. Often after Mass or weekly meetings, a group of people will randomly collect in the church parking lot (sometimes for hours at a time) and just talk. Saturday night after Mass was no different. It began with just one friend and I, but morphed into a four-way conversation. We always joke that so much conversion has happened in the parking lot as God uses our conversation to inspire one another and lead us to take action.

Because I had such a late lunch I didn’t want a big dinner (even though it was already 8:00PM) so I decided I’d mark up a “first” in my life and visited the Piggly Wiggly down the street for some bottled water and a piece of fruit. I’m from Ohio. We don’t have Piggly Wigglys (Wigglies?) in the Midwest. It was nothing like what I had been envisioning with a name like, Piggly Wiggly. I was picturing all of the best southern “fixins” you could possibly imagine. Instead, it was just like every other grocery store you might visit. How anticlimactic. Oh well, now I can say I’ve been to a Piggly Wiggly, even though I’m not sure that little excursion amounts to much – anywhere – ever.

Continuing my day of almost no agenda, I moseyed over to Pinkberry. If you know me, you know I don’t just like, but I LOVE ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato – anything that is even remotely close to a frozen treat from Heaven on a spoon.

Weather was absolutely incredible all day Saturday and the evening was no exception as I sat out front on the Pinkberry patio eating my frozen yogurt. Again, I pulled out Love Does and continued to indulge myself. As I sat there reading and eating, an unkempt man strolled up to the table next to me and asked the folks sitting there if they could spare him some money. Yes, two in one day. This kind of thing isn’t necessarily a common occurrence in downtown Nashville, but it isn’t rare either.  When the folks at the table next to me declined, he meandered over to my table and asked the same thing to me. I, too, declined.

Another fail. Yes, the man did stagger up to our tables with bloodshot eyes and he did slur his speech, leading me to believe he his intention for the money could quite possibly be for something other than food. But who am I to judge? Besides what harm would it have been for me to walk next door and buy him a sub from Jimmy Johns? Furthermore, perhaps more than anything this man just wanted someone to speak with. Afterall, there were three open chairs at my table. I could have invited him to sit with me. I bet Jesus would have. Jesus probably would have given the man his own chair, propping his feet up for him on another chair. Jesus probably would have engaged in conversation with the man as he washed his feet and offered him something to drink. Jesus probably would have ran next door to not only get the man a sandwich, but to make him one himself. Then, Jesus probably would have cured the man of the struggles in his life and sent him on his way to share the goodness of God.

And I declined to simply give a few lousy dollars to this man God created in His image and likeness. This man was no different than me, except for circumstances.

I failed twice. Well, let me be honest, I’m sure I failed more than twice on Saturday, but I failed with two opportunities to put love in action. In effect, I denied Jesus twice. I feel like Peter, which is a bit frightening. What will be the third test? Was there already a third test? Did I fail at that too?

As you begin your week, I challenge you to live the message Bob Goff writes in his book, Love Does. Love is a verb. Love is an action. Love needs to be put in motion. It’s not just a feeling. Love Does.