Each year in Piegaro they have to processions for holy week, one Thursday as Jesus enters into Jerusalem and one Friday night as he is led to the cross to die. The processions wind through town guided by multi-colored luminaria that have been put out by the children. My dear friend Maria asked me to take photos of the entire way, in advance of the procession. Now this is my sweet friend who has kept paper roses I placed at the crucifix in a protected, hidden place at Jesus’ feet for the entire year, and who during the week leading to Thursday actually brought them out to the front. I would do anything for Maria, she is my spiritual muse in Piegaro and I love her to no end. So in my efforts to prepare for the processions I would go into my precision to the point of OCD mode.
When she asked, my first question was where exactly did the procession go, for if I was to be in advance as she asked, I would need to know the exact route. I first asked Maria, then Elisa who gave general directions, but I needed the exact course. So then it was through my friends Eva and Paolo that we walked the course. Then it was a full morning of taking 200 shots trying to scope out what would be the best vantage points. After this would be going over them with Maria and having her suggest additional locations. I came up with my top 10 locations on the route, knowing it would change with the actual event which took place after dark, so the perspective would be different, but I felt prepared knowing the routes by heart, and foot. I knew every wall I could climb for the pictures, where there were stairs to homes people didn’t live in that I could climb for better views.
Then there was how to prepare my home, which I learned needed lights because it was not only on the procession course, but is on one of the main piazza where the procession stops to pray. I discovered that the owner had removed the light fixtures from the house that were used annually for the processions, so this meant coming up with a plan “b.” Maria had suggest I ask Paolo for some of the luminaria that the kids put out, and presently dumped me out of the car for me to talk with him on the topic. Comedy with my limited Italian, and timidity with handsome men… but he was patient in listening, and sharing, but he said the idea of using the luminaria wouldn’t work because they were too big for my terrace rails. He did join to search again for the lights fixture, no luck. In looking around the house one thing there are plenty of are glasses, we could invite all the elks and the eagles for drinks at our home and not run out of drinking glasses. I suggested using the glasses and we taped one to the terrace rail to see if it would work, Paolo shook the devil out of the rail and that glass was going nowhere. With a candle in the glass it would reflect well, and Paolo suggested using colored paper, like the luminaria, and voila; teamwork, precision and cut napkins within extra glassware netted beauty. With the help of friends, we gathered the needed candles and napkins and then came the testing. Consulting with friends down below the terrace, “do the lights look good on the top of the rail AND the bottom?” It was agreed to do them both top and bottom. I felt ready and prepared. It only took 5 days in total, only slightly OCD.
But the results were beautiful, better than imagined, however….. The best laid plans are always subject to circumstances beyond control. The candles did not last the entire evening of the procession on Thursday, and as I regrouped and came up with a new plan for Friday, the rain came. Fortunately the rain stopped in time for the procession, but not in time for my wicks to dry. A wonderful reminder that for all the precision of humans, life is, after all, not in our control. But the precision of the process was beautiful, it was time of grace, and there was great beauty in results that were observed by all.
How do you utilize your gifts?
How do you invite others into sharing experiences that use your talents?
How do you see beauty in what “succeeds” or what “fails”?
Aren't parked cars awful in the photo? Talking about precision. Cars are out of the picture! For next year we write a petition to remove cars from our life at least for the processione. What do you think, Lisa?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of removing the cars very much!
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