St. Ubaldo of Gubbio (c.1084 to 1160)

   I just finished flipping through a book about vacationing solo. It was written by a woman who is a travel writer and doesn't have to pay to go anywhere. Luckily, it only cost me a dollar at a used book sale.
  She basically name dropped all the places she's been to and talked about her two husbands and boyfriends. What really turned me off was her lack of knowledge about Italy. I've been there several times and it's affordable and the people are friendly.
  As a newly divorced 26-year-old in the early 1990s, I learned that if I wanted to get out and see the world, I'd have to do it on my own. I had plenty of friends and yet they either didn't have the money or the vacation time to travel. It would have been easy for me to say the same, but if a person really wants to do something, they will make the money and find the time.
   Belgium, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and France were all within my reach, because as humans, we all have the ability to manifest our desires. And so began a series of journeys that would provide we with comfort, guidance, and hope in the years to follow, although at the time, I had no idea.
  As I travelled from province to province in Italy, I discovered that each tiny town had its own traditions be it food or music or art or a patron saint. St. Ubaldo of Gubbio is one such person who still has a following. He was born c.1084 to noble parents. His father died when he was young and his mother had a neurological disorder.
  St. Ubaldo of Gubbio was a cousin of St. Sperandia. He was a monk and later a bishop. St. Ubaldo of Gubbio was responsible for many miracles and was known for helping the poor. He died in 1160.
  To this day, St. Ubaldo of Gubbio is so popular that it is said in Gubbio, at least one person in every family there is named Ubaldo. And, on his May 16 feast day, religious and civil processions (pictured above) take place in his honor. He is the patron saint of obsessive compulsive disorder.