This photograph was taken at the church of San Giorgio in Venice, where the incorrupt body of Santa Lucia was housed until recently ."Santa Lucia" is sung by every gondolier traveling through the canals, and the train station is also named for this beloved saint who is the patron of the blind and those with vision problems.
I had never seen an incorrupt body of a saint and I was really excited. She was tiny, well under four feet tall, and encased in a glass container. There was a silver plate on her face with a note saying that the mask had been "an act of kindness" from Pope John 23rd. I said a prayer to St. Lucy (always one of my favorite names since Ms. Ricardo). We then left the church in search of pizza.
Moments later a foreign object blew into my eye and lodged there. It felt like a wooden splinter. We sat in an outdoor cafe and ate pizza while I tried futilely to fix my eye. The irony of praying to a saint in charge of eyeballs moments before getting clobbererd was not lost on me.
Eventually my eye recovered and the incorrupt body of Santa Lucia was removed from Venice and taken to her hometown of Syracuse in Sicily. Years later I told this story to the New Orleans psychic Lauren Miller. Lauren said St. Lucy must be crazy about me to send me such a clear message. And also, that she must have quite a sense of humor.

We dedicate this Monthly Spirit to the memory of our beloved friend Harry (2000-2007) who left us suddenly on August 28th. He was a beautiful spirit who brought great cheer into our lives. He had an enviable appetite for adventure and packed some good living into his brief life. He is deeply missed.

Santa Lucia is available as greeting card, candle, t-shirt or 8x10 print.