You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.~Psalm 65:11

Giovanni and I are edging closer to leaving Italy, this beautiful country. I took a last walk yesterday on the pathway that loops through the bucolic setting. The weather had cooled, and I felt a refreshing breeze on my face. A few bikers rushed past. Tractors harvested crops. A flock of white birds gathered to feast on the bits of grain left scattered in the fields. 

Last year when I was in Italy, I often walked over to an abandoned farmhouse. I always thought that the weathered, broken-down structure could be restored--reconstructed into something beautiful again.

This year, to my surprise and delight, the structure has begun a renovation. The roof has new tiles, and in the center of the farmhouse, a new edifice stands, painted white.

As I observed the newness beginning to evolve with the old structure, I thought how alike this is of God's restoration process in my life. The parts of me that need His grace, His breakthrough, His mercy, His favor and courage. His strength--that incremental change, that divine process that carries me, keeps me, shelters me, makes me new.

Thank you all for your prayers as I've been in Italy. I've felt them. And surely the prayers of the saints are a vital part of God's reconstruction plan for His people. Sending love and God's shalom peace.