"Touchdown" by T.I. ft. Eminem

I'm keeping this one kinda short, because I'm going to spend the rest of the night having good times with HUF people for our last night in the Villa.

I'm at this weird point where I'm ready to go home, but not ready to leave. Admittedly we have time together at Cinque Terre, many of us do anyway, but the Villa is a special place, it isn't like a dorm just one big house that everyone lives in where the biggest rule is don't go in your sisters' room. It's such an odd life which I have been privy to these past months, and I'm sad to see it go. I am also rejoicing in my Gulu, my Tanzanian friend, I will get to see him in London and I cannot wait to see how he has grown in the Lord since his baptism last summer.

Then I get to go to Searcy and spend about a week with almost everyone, the obvious exception being those who are overseas in Chile. From there I travel south to Mobile to visit with my family, that will be an interesting homecoming given the stresses that have been plaguing dad with his living situation with uncle andrew, Lizzie not knowing what is happening with her life, and not sure what to think of the situation with mom just now. Then there is Huntsville the land of old friends Joseph, Brandon and everyone. Finally on May the 19th/20th I will head to Meredosia once again.

I'm excited to head back. I have heard about so many great changes that have happened, and I can't wait to see everyone again.

As I said tomorrow we leave first Cinque, then Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, and then probably Scotland followed by London to wrap things up. I'm gonna be tired, smelly, and sore and I can't wait! I love being a person who is comfortable with being uncomfortable, I look forward to trying to camp out in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower with Darby Joanna, Augs, and Beggs. This is going to be awesome.

The song for the day is "Touchdown" by T.I. ft. Eminem, because I can't wait to touchdown in Little Rock, and watch everyone else go bananas.

Pace e Bene
-matt

"It's a Great Day to Be Alive" by Travis Tritt

Forward: I am officially going down to 1 blog and this is the one I'm choosing, Flowersview and Flowers in Firenze (not to mention the two other's floating around out there from times past) will remain in existence but I just feel like I need to bring my life into a single existence in order to avoid a mindset that compartmentalizes. My life in Florence, My views on life, and the goings on in my life are all interrelated, and I should treat them as such.

I am a very selfish, and therefore a very negative being. I have lived my life pursuing things that fulfill me (or at the very least seem to fulfill me) and because of that I have always eventually found myself being disappointed and wanting more. Such is my life.

I say all this because I realized over the past few days that this isn't who I want to be anymore. I want to be a positive force in the lives of those around me. There are individuals like that in my life. Some are purely positive and some are like what I am becoming. A person with a high view of Humanity that understands that it will enevitably disappoint. I like to think of it like what Jor-El says to a young superman as he heads toward earth "They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son." I try to remember that and focus on the positive things in my life. Check out Philippians 4:8-9 to see what I'm focusing on now. My favorite part of that list is that literally it says "if there is any excellence," which just makes it so tangible, so much really than some translations render is: "if there is anything excellent."

I love being in Florence, in Italy, and as much as I miss people here I know that deep down I need to enjoy this time I've been given and appreciate it for the gift it is. It's a shame I didn't realize this until we only had about 2 weeks left... I guess I'll just have to live it up and do so make up living.

The Song of the Day is, "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" by Travis Tritt, because ever since that song was played during a slide show from Mission Impossible Day it has been like a theme song for the group and me personally so I'm gonna keep it rolling.

Pace e Bene (Peace and Love)
-matt