Una Pausa

After Thanksgiving, I took a break. I needed one. I was scheduled to travel to Germany to visit my friends near Frankfurt, my friends near Mannhiem, and to finally spend enough time in Cologne to at least see the Cathedral. The pause was relaxing. I really did not do much of anything but read and putter around. Angelo came down one day to help me reorganize my storage shed. Other than that, it was pure relaxation.

And then, a few days before I left, I got the crushing news that my friend Gabriella Cinnicio's father had died. I will write about him in a later note. I felt at sea, I did not know what to do. I was trying to prepare for the anniversary of Fran's death, and now this terrible news. I knew not how to be of comfort to Gabriella and Fabrizzio, and so paralyzed, I simply called and offered my condolences, and told them I would see them when I returned. It was very difficult for me, for whatever reason, but I needed to get away, so off to Germany I flew, on a direct flight from Palermo to Munich, and then a train on to Aschaffensburg, where my friend Nadja picked me up.