Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. That day, my parents and I took Mattie out to lunch. We went to one of his favorite restaurants. This restaurant had an overhead train track and miniature train that went around the restaurant. Mattie LOVED looking for the train and of course whatever caught Mattie's attention and whatever he loved.... I loved too!
Quote of the day: Whenever I miss you, I look at my heart. Because it’s the only place I can find you. ~ Unknown
This wedding photo was taken by a professional photographer. The story I was told as a child was that the photographer loved this photo so much that he used it to market his services. The photographer made a life size cut out of it and displayed it in his studio!
Facts about my grandma:
- She was born in 1907, in New York.
- Both of her parents were born in Italy.
- She was the oldest of five siblings.
- She married at the age of 16. Her husband was born in Italy and was a contractor for commercial and residential properties.
- She had three children. Her middle child died (Sudden Infant Death).
- Though she did not work outside the home, she had numerous skills. Cooking being at the top of the list.
- She was a born caregiver and cared for everyone in her family.
- She sponsored many family members to come to America and is in essence responsible for their successes and improved quality of life.
- She was a kind, gentle, caring, and loving person. With a very easy-going personality.
- She had two grand-daughters, but she and I shared a very close bond. As I was known to call her "mom."
- Her favorite color was green.
- She introduced me to Days of Our Lives at an early age.
- She played the piano by ear.
- She wasn't a fan of chocolate (not unlike Mattie).
- She wasn't squeamish. She could handle everything from mice to seeing blood.
- She did not know how to drive.
- She loved to read and was well informed about all current events.
- She was a Bob Hope and Bing Crosby fan. As a result, I have seen all the Road to.... movies.
- She loved lily of the valley flowers.
- She suffered a massive stroke in 1990, which left her physically disabled. She died 4 years later.
I will never forget the day my grandmother died. She and my parents were in California and I was living in Boston, Massachusetts attending a Master's in Science program. That morning before I woke up, I had a dream. In the dream, I was with my grandmother. We were chatting and she reached over to give me a dozen roses. In the dream, I reached over to accept the roses, but as soon as I touched them, the petals fell off and they immediately died in my arms. Minutes after this happened, I was awakened to my my home phone ringing and it was my mom on the other end of the phone letting me know that my grandmother died. However, even before my mom said something I knew my grandmother died. The roses were her way of communicating with me.
There are many things about illness, death, and grief that I do not understand. Meaning there are NO logical explanations to some of the signs and feelings that we can experience. Yet from my losses, I have come to accept and appreciate these unexplainable happenings and signs. To this day, I still look for signs in nature and some how they just present themselves when I least expect them.
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