HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to
MY DIGNIFIED ITALIAN DAD
FOR MY FATHER
A GREAT MAN AMONG MEN
A GREAT MAN AMONG MEN
DADDY I WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR BABY AND I LOVE YOU
My Dad came to this country to fulfill the American Dream. And he succeeded. He went through Ellis Island and he was so proud to have his name engraved on the commemorative wall there. Though not highly educated he was a very wise, smart and religious man.
He lived his life according to his beliefs – which were strongly rooted in
his catholic upbringing – and he instilled them in us, his children.
He was well versed with dealing with people, politics and life. He was streetsmart and savvy, and extremely loyal to his friends and family – almost to a fault. But that attribute made him who he was.
What can I say about my dad? He was reliable,
incredibly hard working (even when out of work at one point he said, "I didn't come to America to go on the dole!" - now that is character!!!)and enjoyed life - especially during the holidays. He believed in the importance of family and he
believed in the importance of maintaining traditions. He loved Easter and especially Xmas where he
always stayed up to watch midnight mass in Rome. Though he couldn’t get to
church any longer, he prayed every day and before every meal. The traditional Italian fare for Xmas was something he revelled in and we continue the culinary traditions today with great pleasure.
He always had determination, and
dignity. He taught us what was truly of
value in life which is keeping your loved ones safe, keeping a roof over your
head, food on the table and being loved.
We always felt his love through good times and bad, it was something
that we never questioned. Every day he
would say, “I love you and be careful.”
He was very proud of us, his daughters - he always said, "I never wanted sons, I wanted daughters and I got two beautiful, smart and wonderful ones. God was good to me." In his 80's he would save up money and once or twice a year would call us over and give us $100 saying, "this is from your Dad, buy something nice for yourself." That patiently saved money was worth about a million to me. That gesture of love was and will remain - priceless.
He was very proud of us, his daughters - he always said, "I never wanted sons, I wanted daughters and I got two beautiful, smart and wonderful ones. God was good to me." In his 80's he would save up money and once or twice a year would call us over and give us $100 saying, "this is from your Dad, buy something nice for yourself." That patiently saved money was worth about a million to me. That gesture of love was and will remain - priceless.
My mom and dad were married almost 71 years. Dad had quite the reputation growing up as a
ladies man. When my mother met him at a
dance he was the perfect gentleman – and they fell in love. They married twice, once at city hall when he
was going into the army during WWII and once when he was on leave, in church. They married on July 4th – dad
told us it was because he would be able to remember his anniversary date. It was actually because that is when he was
on leave from the army… he always loved to tell a good story. They have eaten
dinner together every night for all this time. Not many of us can attest to
that.
He was our Dad – we kissed him and hugged him goodnight every night of our
childhood and we kissed him and hugged him goodbye every single time we parted
from him in our adult lives as well. Our Dad was unique, sometimes
dramatic, sometimes vain but always had our welfare in his foremost thoughts
and actions. And for that we are eternally grateful.
We are grieving because he is not around – we have a huge void in our lives
– but he is with God and we do feel solace with that. One day we will all be together again – and
that will be forever.
This poem truly sums up how we are feeling – he will be sorely missed:
God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
So he put His arms around you
And whispered, “Come to me”
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away
Although we loved you dearly
We could not make you stay
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands at rest
God broke our heart to prove to us
He only takes the best
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