Good Morning, Good People! is born out of a love for history's most beloved saint, Francis of Assisi. Nearly 800 years after his death in 1226, he remains one of the world's most widely known, beloved, and revered religious figures, alongside Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, and Buddha. Since 1986 he has been the patron saint of the worldwide ecological movement. In an age of disbelief, skepticism, evangelical fervor, and religious extremism, his wide acceptance comes as a welcome relief. In an age of overconsumption that is heating an already ecologically threatened planet, his life of simplicity and care for the natural world points to hope.
Many people are familiar with the Camino de Santiago, the historic pilgrimage in Spain. Fewer have heard of the Way of St. Francis in Italy. At around 300 miles (500 kilometers) this modern pilgrimage route connects legendary places in the life of history's best loved saint, Francis of Assisi.
Starting in Florence and ending in Rome, this route winds through the Apennine Mountains as it traces thousands of years of history in a magical and beautiful land. At its center point is the jewel of the entire pathway-Assisi. Author and pilgrim Russ Eanes, along with his wife Jane, tackled this challenging and deeply meaningful trail for the first time in 2019 after walking 500 miles to Santiago, a pilgrimage that he had waited decades to make. A lifelong admirer and student of Saint Francis, Eanes was drawn to learn what he could by walking through the hills, valleys and towns of Tuscany and Umbria, Francis' enchanting homeland.
He fell so in love with the trail that he has returned to it a half dozen times and now leads groups along it. Over the years he has collected some of the best of the legends and stories that occurred along the route and gathered them together in this small volume. While it is written especially for the pilgrim, anyone who is an admirer of St. Francis will find this book an inspiration.
