Every once in a while, we stumble into magical moments, moments when we feel as though eternity steps down into time. Though such encounters rarely come, they inevitably leave a mark on our souls. A recent experience in Italy, during a school study tour, intruded upon my existence.
To be honest, I did not join this study tour expecting a spiritual experience. When my professor announced the tour and its destinations, I became enamored with the idea of seeing great works of art in person. And truly, my education came alive in Italy. I saw things that before had been but flat images on a glossy page. This mindset carried me to and through Italy. I knew what to expect in the extravagant galleries in Florence and in the sublime ruins of Rome; I could not have expected the wonder that awaited me in Assisi.
It seems appropriate that Assisi, the city of peace, was a place of great rest for my soul. The walled town resides on a hillside, one of many that mark the horizon, overlooking the Umbrian valley. A feeling of intimate community, as well as an easy lifestyle, pervades the stone. The scooters and tiny cars bounce along the cobblestone streets. White stucco or brick buildings, each a few stories high, line the twisting roads. A bubbling brook of Italian floats past, followed by light laughter. Aside from the modern trappings, I felt that Assisi had changed little since the medieval days when St. Francis walked about.
On our first evening, a small group walked up to Rocco Maggiore, a castle that stands guard over the city from a hill above like an ancient sentinel. We reached this hill just as the first minutes of twilight fell. A breeze lightly tossed our hair and clothes. Assisi lay below, the white stones glowing among the green of the hills. In the distance, other cities rested in our view and, behind them, mountains stood, blue and grand.
As the sun began to set, the mountains faded from blue to a velvet purple, and the sky followed suit. The valley began to twinkle with thousands of lights. Great swaths of golden glow covered the low plains of the valley. Atop mountains and hills, a few shone brightly, like signals in the night. The evening went on, bringing more lights with it. Up to that point, I had never seen anything like it, and the beauty of the view smote my heart. I felt as if someone had turned the world upside down, and now I stood above the stars.
We stayed in Assisi only three nights, yet each night I visited the castle to view the landscape. A great appetite had opened up in my heart, and I could not eat my fill. It was on our final night, however, when a magical, eternal encounter crept into my experience.
I stood alone on the edge of the hill. The others who made the journey up had left earlier, not wishing to walk the path back down in the total dark. In the lack of their presence, quiet pervaded the night. I gazed long into the night, watching the city lights glowing as they had before, as if trying to etch the image into my mind. No picture could capture the city as it was. Then, over a distant group of stars, a blossom of red light flared upwards. Pausing, I gazed more closely. A gentle boom, like the single strike of a drum, reached my ears, just as a second blossom emerged, this one golden. Seeing these fireworks, I felt small; this feeling, oddly, brought peace.
Had I been elsewhere, distracted by the noise of others or the glow of my screen, I would have missed this moment. Only in the quiet, stillness was eternity able to step down into time. I believe that moments like these can occur anywhere, and every day. A conversation with a friend seems to last a lifetime. The rain that beats on the roof takes on a rhythm that lulls you to sleep. Campfire glow illuminates the faces of those gathered around, and time stops. All they require is an undistracted pause.
In a world that moves ever faster, we have to fight against distraction, forcing ourselves to pause, to wait. Such moments remind us of our humanity. They remind us that we are small beings in a world full of wonderful things.
The fireworks ended and the moment was gone. The impression and the memory will last a lifetime.
