Priceless Image

My earliest recollections of my sister, Mary Rose, were walking home from grade school. She was in eighth grade and I in first. I started school a little early, for my age because my Mom had been sick and school officials thought it would be easier on her, if she had one less child to take care of. I guess that is the reason I became close to Mary Rose, she more or less helped raise me. She did so many things for me that my mom was unable to do.
Mary Rose was pretty and she was very smart, I never remember her getting upset when I would ask for homework help. She always knew how to explain things so I could understand. One of my best memories of her, was the summer of 1961. After dinner she would always have to do the dishes. Today, I know that was very unfair to her. Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were going for Babe Ruth's homerun record, she would start talking baseball with me and before you know it I was helping her, I told you she was smart. That summer we talked quite a bit about baseball and I was surprised that she knew such things. I still see her smile when I close my eyes and think of that time.
Mary Rose married when she was 21. I had mixed emotions, I was happy for her but a little sad for me. I thought maybe I might not get to see her as often, but as our family found out through the years, she was the glue that kept us together. As I got older she was always there to give advice and to lend a helping hand whenever it was needed. When I married, she welcomed my wife into the family and never made her feel otherwise.
Mary Rose died of breast cancer when she was just 56 years old. She didn't live a long life, but I believe she lived a full life. The way she fought the disease was heroic. She struggled valiantly for over ten years. She was an example to all, to try and live life to the fullest. She gave herself unselfishly to her family and friends.
I think of Mary Rose everyday. I miss her very much. She truly was a good person, it is probably why she died so young. God must have had needed her to lend a hand in heaven's kitchen. We all have images of loved ones we have lost.
We picture them a certain way. I close my eyes, and see Mary Rose washing the dishes and her smiling at me as we talk about Mantle and Maris. It is an image that is priceless.

Birthday

Sunday, February 4, 1951. Harry Truman was president, American forces were fighting communism in Korea. A woman had a very large cyst removed from her ovaries, an operation that had never been done before. Also on this day, I was born. It is going to be sixty years. I have seen so many wonderful changes in technology, science, politics,and the world in general. Of course I have seen so many terrible things happen in this world also.
I don't remember much as a child, going to school, comes to mind. I really don't remember before then. My childhood was pretty normal, not too much
drama, only when my Mom would get sick, I can remember being scared, especially when she would cough up blood. We were told she had lung problems.
Fortunately she lived a long life.
I always enjoyed going to school, and I made quite a few friends, whom I still
associate with today, in person and on Facebook. I grew up in a small close knit
neighborhood, where everyone knew everyone. Talk about " It Takes a Village".
That is what it was like, other parents were correcting you when you did make a mistake, and they had your parent's blessing.
Before I knew it I was graduating high school and I had to decide my future.
I went to college for a spell but It was not what I expected. Part of it was me, because I was making good money as a bricklayer, and the other part was college itself. It seemed I was spending money on things I had already learned in high school. There didn't seem to be a challenge, maybe I didn't give it enough time.
The most important decision I made was to marry. I married young and have been blessed with a wonderful wife and two great children. That it seems is the
description for the meaning of my life. Everything I have done, my family has been at the center. I have tried to be a good husband and a very good father.
Time has gone by so quickly and I hope I live as long as my Mom did. There are still things I would like to do and I hope to be able to do them. I still will put my family first, because that is what makes me happy. I have two grandsons, right now and I want to teach them how to make it in this world and show them the importance of family.
I hope to enjoy this birthday and for the first time in my life I am not going to work on that day. It is a little gift I will give myself. Some of us don't like to celebrate their birthday, but I do. It is time to reflect on where we are in life and
if necessary make some adjustments. Even though I am getting old, I know there is still a lot of life to be lived and as long as I have good health, I hope to live it.

An Unexpected Christmas Gift

It was a Tuesday night and I sat down to watch one of my favorite television programs at the time, M.A.S.H. My wife was in the kitchen making Christmas cookies getting ready for the holiday. She was in the final weeks of her pregnancy and we were anticipating a new arrival after the New Year. It had been cold and I was working in construction at the time, so work was very slow.
I enjoyed relaxing at night in a warm room after working in the cold all day.
Shortly after nine, I heard my wife say oh, no. I rushed into the kitchen to find that her water broke. We both were excited and nervous, because we knew what was happening. We called the doctor and he asked if she was in any pain, she had none. We were told to wait until she had contractions before going to the hospital. In the meantime, we were to take it easy and arrive at the hospital at eight in the morning, if she didn't have any contractions. We proceeded to get the suitcase ready for the trip, and decided to go to bed for the night. I never slept, every few minutes my wife thought she was having contractions and I would have to time them. We had no clue what we were doing, it was like being in a comedy, only we were the stars. She never seemed to be in much pain, so we waited till morning came and off to the hospital we went.
It took almost seven hours of inducing labor but around four o' clock in the afternoon, we had the most beautiful little girl. I couldn't believe my eyes, she was so small, with the darkest hair. When I saw her I was in awe. I knew from that moment she would be the most precious gift I could ever have received.
What is it about a baby girl? She makes a father feel like a king. He walks the hospital floor strutting like a peacock. His daughter is the most beautiful in the nursery.
December 22, 1976. the day my daughter was born. I remember thinking how rich a man I was. I had a beautiful wife, who loved me, and now I had a daughter whom I would give love and receive love. It seemed like just yesterday she was born, but can it be thirty four years. Where did the time go. She has gone from a baby girl to a little girl, from an awkward teen, to a young lady, from a lady to a mature woman. All these stages, and with each stage a proud father standing there and admiring. Sometimes, I wonder if she knows the joy
she has brought in my life. How proud I am of all her accomplishments. She truly has made me feel rich beyond my imagination. She is one of my greatest achievements in life. I am proud to be known as her Dad.

Christmas Thoughts

When I was young I remember Christmas as being an exciting time. All I could think about was what kind of presents I would receive and how many. As I got older Christmas became a time of giving. What kind of presents I could get for members of my family, trying hard to find something special. Later on I would spend countless dollars on gifts for my wife. I loved seeing her open the presents that I got for her, always surprising her with at least one thing she didn't expect. When the kids came, Christmas, was a time for them. I still bought for my wife, but the children came first. As the kids got older I found that Christmas didn't seem the same. All the holiday hoopla seemed annoying and lots of time I couldn't wait for it to be over. Now I have two grandsons, and
for the first time in a long time, I am enjoying the holiday. I started right after Thanksgiving, putting up the decorations and lights. Amazingly I found myself enjoying it. Thanks to my wife the house has become a Christmas village and we
never argued about how many times I had to go up into the attic.
Something else is different about this Christmas. The more I see the glow in my grandsons eyes as they look at the trains and decorations, I have come to understand what Christmas is about. Christmas is a time when we are coming to the end of another year. It is a time when we should reflect on what transpired in our daily lives throughout the year. It is a time for healing and forgiving. It is a time to be thankful for what we have been given. It is a time to
reach out and extend an olive branch to those we have hurt and those who have hurt us. We are all guilty of doing things that cause others harm. We are getting older and life is too short to constantly be at odds with people who we considered to be friends or family. Christmas is about celebrating Christ. We
should make it our priority to be like Him, and make peace with those whom we are at odds with. We should look at Christmas like my grandsons, a time of joy, excitement and awe, and innocence. Christmas is a time for peace, so let's
extend the hand of peace to all in our lives.
May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy, and peaceful New Year.

Dec.8,1980

I remember being woke up by the radio on that cold December day. The announcer said today's top story is Beatle John Lennon is dead. He was shot and died early this morning at a New York hospital. December 8, 1980. I was shocked, even my wife who usually slept later was awakened by the news. We couldn't believe it.

I always liked John Lennon, he wasn't my favorite Beatle but without a doubt he was the most influential of the group. All of his songs seemed to have a specific meaning and they seemed to touch all the social issues of the day. I always thought he was a little goofy, and sometimes completely eccentric, but he had a way with music that made you listen and think.

I believe his best song was "Imagine". It is soothing and peaceful and it has meaning. Some say it is a song about communism or socialism. I think it is a song about " Utopia".  St. Thomas More created the word when he wrote about a perfect world of social, politics and law.  The most important meaning, of the song was peace.If there is one thing John Lennon strived for it was peace throughout the world.  It wasn't just peace from war, but peace in every day things we do. Peace at work, or where you live,
peace among your friends and enemies.
 

John Lennon would be almost seventy today, it is ashame that for the last thirty years we were deprived of his talent for making meaningful music. I listen to the Beatles quite often, and I enjoy their music as much today as I did when I was young. When I hear a Lennon song, I can't help but wonder what might have been.  It seems so many influential people leave this earth at a young age.  I wonder if they ever know how much their contributions have meant to us still living and listening. 

Thanksgiving

The first thing you would here is Dad telling Mom how she should cook the turkey, then you would hear her say shut up , I know what I'm doing. Both parents had loud voices, so we never got to sleep late in the Vagnozzi houshold.
Thanksgiving was a family day, a time to give thanks for the little we had. Monetary wise we were no where near rich, not even upper middle class. We were rich in family and that is something money can't buy.
The day would start with the smell of coffee. Breakfast would always be the cakes and cookies my sister would bring home from the bakery where she worked. I loved the cream donuts, my younger brother the jelly. After we had breakfast, my older brother would take us to the St. Tommie More vs. Overbrook football game. It was usually the ony game STM would win all year.
I sat in the stands watching the game, dreaming of the day I could play for St. Tommie. My younger brother would be off playing under the stands and running around. When the game was over we would head home, knowing that Mom was working in the kitchen preparing the holiday feast. You could smell
the different flavors from a block away. Our mouths would start watering.
My Father liked to eat dinner early, usually around 2:p.m. We didn't mind because when you eat early, you get to eat again later. We always had some homemade soup to start, usually Scrippels. They were sort of a long stuffed shell
cooked in a chicken broth, sprinkled with cheese. Delicious! Next came the pasta, either ravioli or manicotti or lasagna. Delicious! Then we had a large bowl of salad. Then the turkey would come out with all the fixings. Cranberry sauce, stuffing, couple of different vegetables, a small dish of spaghetti for Dad, he didn't eat veggies.
After all that we had dessert, coffee with annisette, or sambuca, homemade
peach or pear cake, pumpkin pie, or coconut custard, and of course Mom's homemade cookies. We ate like we were going to the electric chair.
Those Thanksgiving dinners were truly some wonderful times for me and I have so many memories of them. We argued and laughed with each other, five brothers and sisters and their parents. Every once in a while, I miss that closeness we all shared. It was Thanksgiving at the Vagnozzi's, and you could hear it from a block away.

A friend for life

When I first met her, it was a quick hello, not too many words spoken. I was with her cousin we were going to play pool and listen to music. I knew she was dating and at the time I didn't think any thing would come about. After a while it seemed we started to hang around together. My brother and her cousin were into playing music. They had a small band and she would come over to listen. She use to bring some of her friends and we would for the most part have a good time.
I don't know exactly how it happened but somehow while talking to her, I could see a twinkle in her eyes. Maybe it is something women do, but all I know, I would never look at her differently again. She became more than just a friend, we started dating. I found that the more I was with her the more comfortable I felt. I could confide in her. I could look into her eyes and actually see her feelings for me. Suddenly, I wanted to spend all my time with her. She became most important in my life. Whatever I would do , would be done for both of us. We decided to marry and become one. We started a family and have been together through good times and bad. We are about to celebrate 39 years of marriage, but we have been friends for over 40 years. I have known her and lived with her longer than my siblings.
She will always come first in my life, even before my children. I have tried to please her every day. I love to hear her laugh, I love to see her smile. I hope I never have to live without her. They say a true friend is hard to find and most of us only have one. The best compliment I can give my wife is she is my one and only true friend. Sometimes when I don't feel right, or worried, I look at her face and still see that twinkle, and all becomes well.