A salute to the Virgin Mary.

Today is a holiday in Italy. And another reason for Italians to feel blessed as Catholics. Because it's a religious holiday. Seems to me that every other week, there's a holiday in Italy. Of one kind or another. Religious and secular. But mostly religious. This one is to honor the Virgin Mary. But non-Italians and non-Catholics like me question whether Mary was a virgin. That makes us heretics. And in another time we could have been ostracized or maybe even executed for such blasphemy. But we are living in slightly more tolerant times. At least in Christiandom. If not all over the world. My true love has the day off. And she's resting. At my behest. I told her it's the only decent way to honor the Virgin Mary. A local park here in Sardinia has a huge statue of the Virgin Mary. And I suggested that we walk in the park and salute the statue. That would seem the least we could do. --Jim Broede