Reunion

Cousin Power: Sara, Annette, and Donna. Donna and I had the same reaction when we saw each other: "Hey, you look like me." Annette and I don't look all that much alike, but our personalities are similar (think: strong, Sicilian, take-charge).



I have to laugh. In fact, I'm cracking up.

My dear mother - God bless her beautiful soul (and I hope she's laughing, too) - made two decisions in my early years that would profoundly influence my life. One, before I was even born, she removed me from my father and his family; two, she basically told me to "make up my own mind," as pertains to religion.

Last weekend I drove to Yonkers, New York and met up with a few of my long-lost Piazza cousins. It was a wonderful weekend, and I am still shaking my head in amazement that I have both: one, been reunited with my father's family (that turns out to be the size of a small city - bursting with a multitude of cousins, all with arms wide-open); and two, found my way to being a proudly devout Roman Catholic. Congratulations are in order, I believe, as I somehow managed to follow the trail of breadcrumbs that had been left for me in the forest, leading me home to God and to my long-missing family. It took sixty-two years, but I made it.



Church of the Annunciation in Crestwood, New York - Annette's church. I'm home.