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.

Best Birthday Present, Ever

Where do I start, except to say that the past few days have been amazing, beginning with a random, out-of-the blue e-mail from Janis Ann Tanner who turns out to be a second cousin from my long-lost Piazza family.

I am now in touch with two more cousins, Annette Valentinetti Facciponti and Andrea Rasulo - these names are beautiful music! - and with my grandparents' generation having numbered 65 siblings and first cousins, this is the tip of the iceberg.

To understand the significance of all of this, one must first know that I never met my father, have only known a few details of his life (this is one of only two photos I have of him, and I only saw these for the first time at age 30), and have never met anyone on that side of the family. Imagine that half of who you are is a black hole, an emptiness that never goes away (and yeah, I've done a pretty fine job of making up for all of that, I'd say); and now, suddenly - ON MY BIRTHDAY - I am given the most incredible gift, the best gift ever: at least three cousins with names and faces and common history, with more to come.

I've spent my whole life adopting myself out to friends and neighbors with big families, never knowing, of course, that I had a very large family of my very own.

I knew they'd come for me.