Dave and His Bell

It is hurry up and wait time here in the Pedersen house.   At the beginning of the week, I was ready to bet money that Stig would be here by now.  And....well...seeing how this post is NOT about him...it is obvious that we still wait.  And wait.  Granted, I really wanted to make it to at least Friday (if not this upcoming Monday) for several reasons but boy, I REALLY thought I was going as of Wednesday night.  And so did Dave.  He and the good Father N. at our church were convinced that Stig was going to be born yesterday, the Feast Day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.  There's a double meaning in there somewhere....I'm just sure of it.  :)

So, as we wait...I have to tell you about Dave and his bell...one of his most prized possessions.

I bring this up because it has been the topic of conversation lately in several different corners of the country.  1) In a picture I posted of the new house, one of Dave's Aunts noticed the bell (and its location in the dining room) and asked me if it was a "dinner bell".  :)  Hahahaha.  No.  2) We had both of the priests from our church over for dinner last weekend and they were in awe of its beautiful tone.  And then they became downright covetous :) of the bell when I told them what it was and where it came from.  3) We are both wondering if Stig will react the same way Jeffery did when we ring the bell...which is to enter an almost trance-like state.  We've been talking about it a lot.

So...Dave and his bell.  In the winter of 2007, Dave had the good fortune to travel to Italy for almost 2 weeks.  I stayed at home.  (Yes...I'm still rather bitter.)  He went to Rome, Florence, and Assisi...and loved the whole trip.  But he especially loved his visit to Assisi.  He came back with all sorts of stories about the basilica and the little chapel inside.

Fast forward a couple years.  It is Dave's birthday and we are having a quiet celebration at home and he is opening his presents.  A box from my parents seems to be especially heavy...but it doesn't look like the NASCAR die-cast cars my dad occasionally sends him as gifts for Christmas or his birthday...or just because.  :)  Inside is the bell.  My parents had been to Italy that summer with their chorale....had visited Assisi...and knowing how much Dave had loved the city and the church especially, had taken the time to hand pick (based off of tone....God bless musicians and their ears!) the perfect bell to give to Dave while they were visiting the Basilica.  It is a Mass Bell...the kind that is rung at the beginning of Mass to signal the start of things.  A Mass Bell from the St. Francis Basilica in Assisi, Italy.  SO COOL!!!!!

Hence the reason our priests were suddenly very interested in the bell.  :)  But good luck getting Dave to part with that bell.  Maybe in his will.  It is one of his prized possessions...not only because of what it is and where it came from (though that is the bulk of the reason) but because such time, effort, and thought went into the purchasing of the gift for him based off of its tone quality and sentimental value and then was hauled all the way back to the US...for him.

He loves it.  Jeffery is still entranced by it.  And hopefully Stig will be in wonder as well....if he ever decides to make his grand entrance!!!  :)