I suppose some things are better left undone

It's May in Italy and that has something to do with the month of the Madonna.  For all I know it's the month of the Madonna in Chicago, too.  But I know I've never seen these little gatherings in the middle of nowhere every evening in May in Chicago.

The first time I saw it I was confused.  There's a little wooden hut on the side of the little country road next to a little bridge and a little stream.  Inside there's a statue and some flowers and some candles and it's been sitting there every day every time I've been to Italy.  There's never been any action around it.  In fact, now that I think about it, I can remember running in the country here 7 years ago and seeing these little "things" and wondering what they were.  My Catholic friends are about to kill me.   It's not a hut.  Is it a tiny little church?  A tiny little chapel?  I'm sure it has a name, but if I waited to ask a friend for help every time I was writing  I'd never publish anything.  So, I just go with it and say it like I see it, a wooden (and sometimes concrete) hut.  (I wanted to say shrine, but I'm sure that's not right either.)

So, we were driving past and there was a small group of people gathered around it.  There's a small bench that I think is always there, and some people brought their own lawn chairs.  It looked like a little garden party on the side of the road.  It actually reminded me of what I call the Sunset Club in Michigan when all the neighbors walk down to the edge of the beach and sit on the benches at the top of the stairs to watch the sunset.  I've often thought of joining the Sunset Club and making up some story of who I am.  I'd make myself really interesting and go there every night and pretend that's who I was.  I still haven't done it and I'm pretty sure I never will.

Anyway, I asked what was going on.  (Don't worry, I asked my friend in the car.  I didn't get out and ask the little group.)  He said it was a group of people that got together every evening at 20:10 in the month of May to pray to the Madonna.  Sorry, I don't know if you pray TO a Madonna or FOR a Madonna or what you do with a Madonna.  But I like the fact that Madonna brings this little group of neighbors together every evening in May.  I find the whole thing charming and a bit sad.  These little gatherings are finished in May.  Why not do something else together a few evenings in the summer?  Sometimes at 20:10 I have the urge to go join them and tell them that they could get together every now and then in June, too, without Madonna, but I'm pretty sure I'll never do that either.