I've traveled for 18 days now. Tomorrow I go home. I've never, I think, in my life been away from my home for this long. I'm exhausted, tired, and road weary, but I still don't want the trip to end. When I started envisioning this sabbatical time, I knew I wanted to go to Italy to visit Benedict's monastery in Monte Cassino. I've wanted to see Italy for several years, and this was a good ticket to get there. I wanted to go back to Iona and Scotland, too. "Why not do both in one trip?" I thought. The idea seemed too good to be true, two dream destinations all in one big trip. I dreamt big, and here I am.

Processing all I've experienced these last two and half weeks will take some time. My brain and heart are full of experiences. I've seen and done more than I can understand or write about at this moment. There have been several moments where I realized, "You're really doing this," and wanted to pinch myself because it was too good. I remember a simple moment in Rome, eating gelato while watching passers-by and thinking, "You're in Rome, on a beautiful day, watching the city go by. You should appreciate this moment."

I've posted here a picture I took of a Gaelic saying about Iona, that those who visit here will do so three times. This is visit two for me, so maybe there's a third. I walked around on my last night on Iona, taking in a sunny and still evening (a real gift on what can be a cloudy, windy place), and I've thought to myself, "I'll probably be back here eventually." I hope so. Tomorrow I say goodbye to all this traveling, though, and go home.