I was in Italy last week for Easter. God showed up several times, but in a special way on the last day.

I was in Italy on my annual "anniversary trip," a trip I’ve taken every year to a different location since my wife passed away 10 years ago. I don’t like the idea of sitting at home on our wedding anniversary as if it’s just another "normal" day. So taking this trip helps transform a painful time into a very special time.

This year, I decided on Italy so I could spend some time with a puppet carver and his family who are creating a "puppet opera" for me of a book about St. Nicholas my wife and I had written. The trip was really special and a great encouragement to me as we were able to hang out, talk about the show, and visit some of the places that were special to them. I loved everything about it!

On the last day, since my hosts were busy that afternoon, I asked if they might suggest a restaurant I should try. They called a place around the corner from my B&B, made a reservation, and I was set.

What I wasn’t set for was how posh the place was going to be!

The maître d’ (yes, I had to look up how to spell that) showed me to my table reserved in a corner alcove. Other than feeling terribly underdressed (in my tennis shoes, jeans, and a bright blue hoodie), I had to pinch myself at the beauty of the moment.

Of particular significance, after sitting down, I saw a cloth napkin neatly folded between two knives and two forks. I rarely eat at a restaurant that has cloth napkins, and when I do, I know it’s special. And in that moment, I knew this was a special "anniversary" meal God had prepared just for me, too.

What I wasn’t prepared for was how God was about to show up!

As I was sitting there being served course after course of elegant Italian cuisine, I got a message on my phone. It was from one of my subscribers who had just watched one of my podcasts from last year. He commented how much he liked the video, so I pulled it up to see which one it was.

Not only was I wearing the same blue hoodie in the podcast that I was wearing at the moment (somewhat uncomfortably because of the beautiful setting), but also I was talking about my anniversary trip I had taken to New York 5 years ago.

As I watched myself talk about that trip, it felt like God was right there with me on this trip. That He wasn’t surprised I was wearing a bright blue hoodie, that He knew right where I was, and He knew exactly what I was feeling, right down to my thankfulness for the cloth napkin and the discomfort about what I was wearing.

And that changed everything. Knowing that God was there… right there… made all the difference in the world. I was no longer alone. I was no longer hidden away in a far corner of a distant country. I was no longer someone sitting awkwardly alone at a posh restaurant in Italy. I was known and seen… and loved.

I sat up a little straighter in my chair, and much straighter in my heart. I finished the meal with a flourish, indulging in a special Easter cake and espresso they served at the end.

The meal was special, no doubt. But what made it even more special was that God was with me, on the far side of the sea, just like He is with each one of us… anywhere… if we’ll open our hearts and eyes to see.