IL Pozzo - At Rest by the Well

The Tuscan hillside of Villa il Pozzo: a luscious grove of silver olive trees and red Chianti grapes.

Il Pozzo - "the well" in Italian. A place to be refreshed and renewed: daily, weekly, ...anywhere along the journey when one stops for rest.




The Villa il Pozzo in Tuscany was a place of refreshment, renewal, and rest for me and Geoff this past May.

During one of our evening walks together this week, Geoff wistfully recalled this once-in-a-lifetime vacation experience. As we walked, we savored the memories: the cuisine, the scenery, the art, the culture, the beauty. All the wonder and delight that had filled our inward cup to overflowing.

Tucked behind the villa between the two watchtowers, our cozy apartment provided a welcome retreat after each amazing excursion into medieval hilltowns.

Quaint, charming, and amply supplied with gracious character, Villa il Pozzo was a well from which we drew all week long.





Now that school and work are back in full swing, Italy truly seems a continent away. But my heart was there long enough to learn that it needs a "well" experience more often. My marriage needs it. My kids need it. My life needs it.

Today is Sunday. The Sabbath for Christians. Sabbath means "rest." Since my husband and I serve in Worship Ministries at our church, Sunday is rarely a day of rest for us. I am often more exhausted physically after Sunday morning than I am much of the work-week.

But I also am aware of how my soul is refreshed and renewed as I fellowship with believers and participate in corporate worship. And as I listen to the Word through the mouthpiece of my spiritual leaders. My perspective is placed back on the eternal. My focus adjusted to a more other-centered vision than the one I naturally wake up to.

My daily challenge is to find moments to rest by The Well throughout the week. To rise early and drink deeply every day before the curtain of the everyday dramas rises to its opening act.

My ambition is to seek out moments to rest long enough by the well that I am renewed and restored, not just briefly satiated. That is my goal for the coming months.

"Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28