Aggiornamento!

 Aggiornamento means "bringing up to date."  Today is my final full day in the valley of the sun where I grew up.  I feel all filled up.  This amazing extended family around me has welcomed me back with open arms. There are so many new family members, including a new first cousin in law.  I don't know if that's a real term but I'm claiming Jill as my newest cousin and her four kids as as members of our clan.

Today's story wouldn't be complete if I withheld the spiritual awaking that happened in Arizona.  Full disclosure for those reading my stories for the first time: I do my best to keep politics and specific religious denominations off of this blog to keep the heckling to a minimum.  There is already enough division in this world.  All are welcome here.  I simply share the journey with anyone who wants to stop by.

In my faith there is a secret room many have never seen.  The first time I visited as an adult I thought I was in the wrong place.  Some remodeling had been done and the dividing wall was gone.  My pastor invited me to have a seat in front of him as if you were having coffee with a friend.  Well, there's no coffee.  No appetizers either.  The topic of conversation is me and all my faults.

In case you haven't noticed, the world is a mess these days and I feel a bit like a fish out of water.  I decided I would seek out one of these top secret rooms and visit a local pastor to see about cleaning myself up before my cousin's wedding.  The Evil One did his best to stop me.  The three places I visited were either closed for Veteran's Day, under construction, or the pastor was too busy.  I met a cousin at the pre-party the night beford the wedding and shared my dismay.  Well, he hooked me up.  I got in my rental car and drove as fast as I could to visit the secret room.

You don't need to know what was shared.  Let's just say I learned some valuable lessons to aid me in my faith journey.  I'm going to meet my cousin today for an iced tea at Rubios and share a couple of private surprises.  It feels good to get some small wins in a world desperate for some "Aggiornamento."  Our church calendar may be concluding soon and these days may be considered ordinary.  All I can say is what happened during my visit to Arizona is extraordinary.  No one but the Father knows when we will witness the Grand Finale.  I do recommend more regular visits to the top secret room if you happen to be a part of my denomination.  And if you're not part of the family but want to know more, reach out to me any time.  Just keep in mind that you are loved unconditionally.  Have a great day.