February 13, 2021

Good morning everyone, today is February 13, 2020. I hope all is well with everyone today. Again it is very early 4:30 and I am up doing my routine to get ready to take on the day. I have cleansed , shaved and exercised already. I learned from my grandmother get up early and do all that has to be done so you have the whole day to pursue what you want. So this is what I do many times Amanda says dad stop sit down I tell I will later about 8:30 at night I throw myself into my chair with a glass of wine to relax for the evening.
Now I have been discussing Valentine’s Day because it appears tomorrow and we have been talking about love and friendship. Last night at dinner Marylou, Amanda and I were talking, I have always encouraged conversation during dinner and many times is gets lively esp now that Dario is using his voice,usually Rocco is pretty subdued. But last night we were discussing friendship and how important it is, and how we make commitments to each other that make lasting relationships. But the conversation turned to a place I’m not happy with. As a person I will give of myself in many ways, and be available for anyone who meds me friend or family if this is rebuked or mistrusted time and again eventually after an extreme amount of time I shut off. The sad part is it never turns on again, I still wish you well but our paths will never pass again and that has only happened a few times in my life. It is something in my personality I do not like but my father and from what I have heard my grandfather were the same way.
Now talking about good things last night I got to thinking of all the people who came before us , how many of them came from arranged marriages back in Italy, but I’m sure it was the same in every culture and nationality. Today we fall madly in love right away and live an entirely different life from our predecessors. Imagine sometimes they barely met before they married and it was very common for sisters to marry brothers, my grandmother had that her two older sister married two brothers. Yet these people formed a love that we marvel at today, they had children many children, decided to leave family and friends to create a new life in a different country together, and ensure a new way of life, what fortitude they must have had and love to do something I don’t know if I could do it.
One story that always calls to me was Marylou’s grandmother, now when I first married I would be home by 3:30 and Marylou’s aunt would be there we lived in the same house, everyday she would have coffee ready for me and we would sit and talk til others started to come home. In these times she taught and told me much of the family history and me being me entered it and have never forgotten them. Marylou’s grandmother was an only child when her husband suggested America she refused to go and leave her parents,but he was to go and eventually come back,but time went on and he was not returning and one day she got a letter from her mother in law telling her she should come to America and get her husband , that’s what she did but she never intended to stay, he sent her a second class ticket for her and the baby so she never had to deal with Ellis island. Her trip was miserable she was sick the entire time, some woman took care of the baby she didn’t even know, this in itself shows the fortitude of the Visco women that anyone should touch their children when she arrived she set out to get him to return to Italy but soon found out she was pregnant and then 6 more times and by that time shehad adapted to American living, and never returned and all her trousseau remained in Italy. But the love they shared was more important than anything. Every afternoon about a half hour before he returned from work she would leave the little ones with an older child and go to her bedroom and freshen up for his return, she wanted to always look her best for him.
As artistic director for two art company I am proud to say one show I directed touched my heart and taught me moree than any other Fiddler on the Roof. I first saw that on Broadway when I was about 11 years old and from then on it has always sparked such interest for me. Just about everything in the show is what I believe. The opening number Tradition is my thinking, Sunris Sunset, has me in tears always. The storyline of a changing world has always appealed to me. The two main characters are a true love story of the time wheather you see it that way or not. I always tried to dipict them as that even thriough their bickering. But the song Do you love me. Represents all of our lives then and today. When they are forced to leave their home they do it together, and the love of all his children culminate as they walk off together. I guess that’s what love really is not grandiose showings but just everyday life.
Well I have succeeded in staying too long at the fair again and I apologize again but this subject is hard for me to stop talking about. Now the blog site is up and working, I have posted the song Do you love me on it, please stop by and read them. I think we will enjoy using the site. I will give you the name again Refections of a life and family at WordPress it is easy to navigate even I can do it. Leave me a comment if you want to let me know what you think of it.
Today is Saturday so enjoy it, we have more snow coming so enjoy what we can. Remember find something to make you smile. Til Tomorrow!