25 May  2026

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT

God is slowly weaning me off my desire for certainty—that sometimes obsessive need to plan for every eventuality. Yesterday, as we headed out in our rental car for another day’s adventure here in Italy, I reminded myself that our Shepherd was with us. That meant He would provide what we needed.

Mike and I do take seriously the Lord’s advice—or command—to hand over everything that concerns us. That includes finding a delightful ristorante for our lunch outing. Dining and interacting with the wait staff in Italian is a highlight of each day.

The night before, we had asked the Father to guide us as we investigated, with ChatGPT’s help, where to eat. Mike’s search led him to a place that served local Abruzzese dishes and was open on Sunday. We thought it best to make a reservation, since Italians take their Sunday lunch seriously, lingering long at table with joy and laughter.

Again we prayed—this time for Mike as he made his very first phone call in Italian. And praise God, the gal who answered completely understood and took down his name and the time we wanted.

Then yesterday, having savored each new flavor of our dishes, we set out to find a trailhead in the Majella National Park. We did what has now become natural—we asked for the Lord’s help.

This time, He stretched our patience and trust as we made two false starts: one due to missing a GPS-indicated turn, and the second when the trail we picked turned out to be blocked for unknown reasons. We kept confidently persisting and eventually found a place to park and access a trail. Leaving the car, we asked Him to protect both the vehicle and our ankles.

Nothing is too little—or too weighty—to take to the Lord. For when He provides, we joyfully thank and praise Him for coming through. This cycle strengthens our confidence and increases our desire to present even more needs to Him.

Today’s adventure will take us to a small town in Chieti Province which lies in the region of Abruzzo, east of Rome. Mike’s Italian maternal grandmother emigrated from there in the fall of 1919 to join her husband in the States. We will be praying to discover what we can and perhaps even meet a descendant of the Bucciarelli family.

With the Lord, every day is an opportunity to learn how to live in uncertain times with a sure and unchanging good Father.