...For Luisa

We got sad news this morning from our extended family it Italy and it has made the colors in my world feel less glorious today.

When hubs and I got engaged in 1999, we made a trip to the Naples area of Italy to celebrate our engagement and the millennium New Year's eve. Willie had always talked about how great it would be to find long-lost family in Italy, so I encouraged him to reach out to several people to whom he believed he was distantly related. He made contact with a second cousin (Vittorio) who is the patriarch of the family in S. Guiseppe. Letters were exchanged and off we went to celebrate our engagement with these new-found family members.

Anyone who has ever visited family in the "old country" may have experienced what we did - the feeling of being completely enveloped in love and a sense of belonging. We had a lunch that lasted for hours and was filled with generations of family. It brought my husband to tears several times - and I've often thought that the best gift I ever gave him was encouraging him to meet Vittorio while we were there. We've since returned several times and each visit has been wonderful. Vittorio speaks no English (not uncommon in his generation) but several of the younger generation including his daughter, Luisa, who is close to my age spoke a smattering of English and I spoke a smattering of Italian, and it all just worked. Willie has a special bond with Vittorio, and it has always been wonderful to see them together - communicating in ways that transcend language.

We always exchange holiday cards and letters with Vittorio - his in Italian and ours in English - and were concerned this year when we didn't hear from him. We emailed Luisa, but did not hear from her either. So we finally emailed one of the other family members (3rd or 4th cousins?) last night. And this morning we learned that Luisa is in the late stages of lung and brain cancer. So today's blip is for Luisa - Luisa of the huge yet shy smile, Luisa who hugged me so fiercely the last time we saw her in 2007, Luisa who never married but led a full life, Luisa who is the beloved only daughter of Vittorio. I take some small comfort in knowing that she is surrounded by generations of family and that she will face the end surrounded by unwavering love.

My message today is to enjoy each moment of your life, to always tell the people who are important to you that you love them, and to not wait until "later" to do things.

Debbi