Remembering during this Independence Day holiday, how proud my husband was to be an American!  Italian-born, proud of his heritage, but an American. Living in Boston, engrossed in the Italian culture and heritage, it was clear to me that although this group of Italians held a strong love for their home country, they were all very proud to be Americans. After immigrating to the United States, the Italians that I have come to know and love, are hard-working people who came to America for the opportunity.  They came over not knowing the language, culture, or anything about the…

This weekend I was reminded of the importance of being patient and of not being too quick to judge.  I need to remind myself daily about giving people the benefit of the doubt. I am most impatient when I believe someone is fully capable of handling a job more quickly and with more passion than they are working at the time.  I find myself counting backward from 10 and praying that I am able to smile and ward off any negative judgments.  The use of handicapped parking spaces is another situation where I have caught myself judging people without knowing…

For those that I hold closest to my heart, there is little left unsaid, no regrets.  They know what they mean to me, they know that I love them, and they know that every moment I spend with them is important. I knew when my husband was in a coma that it was my opportunity to say any last words to him, bringing closure to our time together here on earth.  Oddly, I also knew in my heart that he knew everything that I felt.  He knew everything I knew.  He knew how much I adored him, how he made…

Finding courage is difficult and simple all at the same time.  It is difficult because stepping outside one’s comfort zone and having faith that things will all work out is ambiguous and undefined.  There is no guarantee that one will not fail.  I have failed at so many things so many times, but for me, the key is learning from those failures.  Having the courage to step out again using the information learned from past mistakes.  For me, not repeating the same mistake is key.  Finding courage is simple, in that I rely on my faith, but it…