Here is the post -- it was a special day and I regret not posting it that day. Here was the start of the day--
Nonna and aunt Susan are currently walking around the field, I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of Jane Fonda moves.
I smell meat of some sort cooking somewhere, maybe on the grill? But the cool breeze blows the smell over to where I am currently swinging and reading.
My dad cooks chili inside and walks back&forth between my house and his to look for missing utensils.
My sister changes clothes 5 times.
Her boyfriend sits on the couch watching football.
My uncle is helping my dad cook.
My mom tries rushing everyone while they get dressed, because she wants to do something today.
My Memaw and Pepaw come over for coffee.
I wake up grumpy only to have a discussion with my mother, which only lead to us play wrestling.
My other sister and my cousin have gone to a ball game.
My best friend comes by to borrow a GPS because she has to get to Tampa today.
And I sit outside now watching it all. The weather takes me to a place my heart longs to be most days. The book I am reading makes me wish I were sitting in a coffee shops writing. Instead I'm sitting on my front porch while my cat plays with the blinds inside (like he's telling me to open the windows). Of course, I wish to be other places often. But if I weren't here today I would have missed play fighting match with my mother, my sisters boyfriend coming to sit on my couch to look up sports stuff on the computer, my dad running back and forth looking for cooking supplies, and my Nonna sitting next to me while she tells me and my aunt the story of her brother who passed away when she was 3.
His name was Ugo --
He was 19. And would bring his mother, my Bis (twice-great) Nonna, coffee in bed each morning. Nonna says that she doesn't remember him much, but she has pictures of him. She tells me of how when she was younger, he would pick her up and she would stop crying immediately. He was a stand up kind of guy. One morning my Bis Nonna, begged Ugo not to leave because she had a bad dream. Side note: my Nonna grew up in Naples, Italy. Her house overlooked the ocean and off in the distance you could see an island. In my Bis Nonna's dream, Ugo was on a ship, holding a while flag and saying "bye mama, this is the last time we will see one another."
With this fresh on her mind, she asked Ugo not to go receive his diploma that day but to please wait. Ugo, excited to receive it and knowing that he wouldn't get another chance hugged his mama bye and said he would be back. He left with his bike and the day carried on. About 15 minutes later, (at this point Nonna gets choked up- she explains that it's not because she lost him. She was too young to remember him. She says its because she knew how her mother must have felt)-- there was a knock on the door, only leading to my Bis Nonna shouting "Ugo, Ugo," because she knew something was wrong. The police explained, that he had been ran over by a large truck carrying stones. My bis Nonno, ran down the street to check on him.
Only for Ugo, at the age of 19 to be laying on the ground. His last words were "mama, mama." My Nonna said that over in Italy when someone passes, you wear black not just to the funeral, but for as long as your soul mourns. She said her mother wore all back for 10 years.
So, as my heart longs to be on the other side of the world today because the weather and the smells remind me of it or maybe in Nashville on some new adventure. I am here with my family today because these stories shape me.
Minutes after the story wrapped up. My best friend showed up to borrow the GPS. She has
to go to Tampa today to tell her aunt whom has cancer, maybe bye. I asked my Nonna to pray for her and she wrapped her in her arms and prayed such a powerful prayer over her.
Throughout my Nonna's pain in life she is able to pray for other people and help them through their pain.
So today, I wish to be here because Jesus has me here for a reason.
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