A few years ago I spoke fifteen times in eighteen days in the nation of Spain.  My books were translated into Spanish and our first international transaction was completed. Our trip included my husband, Tony, and our youngest children, Lydia and Connor. We also brought our own  interpreter and translator of our books, Raquel, and our driver and assistant, Michael, on the twenty-three day adventure in Europe.  Halfway through our journey, a friend of our interpreter joined us who was a photographer. In the nation of Spain alone, we drove over 2,000 miles with speaking engagements.

After our Spain tour, we went to Italy for a few days of rest.  Our translator stayed behind in Spain, her native land, to visit her family. I am not sure if anyone rests well overseas, especially when there is so much to see. Rome was our destination and our snapshot focus in high speed. Three days barely scratched the surface, but we all determined to go non-stop and do as much as possible.

We rented a house from a church and from there took the bus and taxis and walked everywhere. The food was unlike anything we had eaten in the States, and the sites of culture and history were breathtaking. Some favorites were the Coliseum, sculptures, shopping and the amazing architecture carved in history.

While in Italy, Tony and I decided to celebrate our anniversary with our own outing. The others decided to see the Vatican that day and the Sistine Chapel with our new photographer, Cindy. Tony and I took a taxi to the bus stop for a double decker bus tour of Rome. The others left early in the morning to be the first in line for seeing Michelangelo’s masterpiece. On the way they realized the Pope would be making a live appearance since it was just a few days before Easter, and people had come from all around the world.

The children and Cindy arrived first in line at the Sistine Chapel and were able to get some classic pictures and inspiration. They lay down on the bench to admire the ceiling as they wondered how paint did not drip into the eyes of Michelangelo. From there they scurried to where the mass crowds were growing as the Pope mobile began to tour the crowd. Lydia, 16 at the time, was positioned close to Pope Benedict XVI and quickly grabbed her camera.

In the rush of the moment, and determined to get some great pictures, Lydia used the head of a short woman in front of her as her tripod. The woman never knew what had flattened her hair that day as she stood waving at her spiritual hero. It brought a new meaning to “head shot.”

While the children were in Vatican City, Tony and I had dinner in a quaint restaurant in the middle of Rome. No words can describe the feeling of the special memory of being in a special restaurant to ourselves, with my favorite jazz music playing, Frank Sinatra singing, and three waiters attending us with our four-course meal. One waiter, upon hearing that it was our anniversary, brought us a gift–their specialty dessert. He told us that it was the favorite dessert of Pope John Paul ll–and we know why now. Reminiscing over the thirty plus years of marriage, we decided it had flashed before us like it was yesterday. We never pictured our anniversary to be in Italy one day as His plans developed and each day framed in purpose.  We are blessed by a Father who loves to surprise His kids.

Picture your life as an empty easel with days filled with brilliant strokes, a masterpiece created for the world to see.

What  story will your snapshot tell?

When you choose to look past the horizon… the sky is the limit!