Many thanks to all the e-mails I received from so many people asking where I’ve been and if all is ok.  I have been on an overseas trip.  I went to deal with some family business in Europe.  Please indulge me as tell you about it.

I went to my mother’s birthplace, a small town in the beautiful mountains of northern Italy.  I have traveled to this place before, but this time it was bittersweet.  My mother passed away in January after 15 long months of suffering with heart failure, diabetes and the after affects of a stroke.  

She is the strongest person I have ever known in my life.  Her last months on earth were no different, Mom never complained about her situation and worked hard to improve her condition.  Each day she greeted us with a loving smile.  What an inspiration she was. 

My mother’s family has lived in this region of Italy, the Veneto Region, for over 500 years.  Along those mountains, they raised their families by keeping their traditions and their values intact throughout the generations. 

Their destiny was sealed when World War II broke out in Europe.  My family were freedom fighters and became part of the resistance known as “Partisans”.  My mother, her sisters and their mother, were imprisoned and beaten to try to extract information on other partisans or allied soldiers in the area.  My mother was barely a teenager at the time, yet she and her family, stood strong and resisted the fascists. 

They saved an American pilot who crashed near their home.  From that herioc deed, plus so many others, the family received a commendation from the Allied Forces for their bravery and making a difference during the war. 

When my mother came to America, she studied English and American history.  Years later when she and my father had us kids and we were in school, Mom was the one who helped me with my American history.  My father, one of the most brilliant men I have ever known, was born in America but Mom still gave him a run for his money on history!

Coming back to her birthplace gave me a renewed feeling of pride, of my ancestry and my homeland of America.  Mom loved America very much and was proud to be an American.  I too am proud to be an American and I love my country dearly.  That I why I do this, speak out on the critical issues America faces everyday.  It’s a tradition in my family as you can see, we fight for Freedom!

I am very proud to be a member of this brave and amazing family.  I am very proud to be of Italian heritage.  My mother may have left her family in Italy to seek a new life of hope and dreams, but she did not forget them.  She worked hard and built them a large house that they still live in today.  She came to America with a unique set of skills in the textile industry.  She came to be an American and to raise her family to love America and their heritage.  She and my father gave us so much. 

Not one person ever had a bad thing to say about her.  The nurses, doctors and aides that took care of her during her long periods in the hospital were crying with us at her funeral.  One neighbor told me, “the world is a darker place now that she is gone…”  I could not agree more.  Her parents must have had the foresight when she was born and named her appropriately…her name was Vita, in Italian, Vita means Life. 

I love you Mom.