My Italian Grandmother-Rose

This is a picture of my grandmother (one of my five prized possessions). It is the only picture I have of my grandmother who I love more than life itself! For the first 4-5 years of my life, mother and I lived with her. In this picture my grandmother is on the far left and my mother is on the far right.

Grandmother and Grandfather came over to this country on a ship a very long time ago from Sicily, Italy. Grandmother REFUSED to learn to speak English-she was so stubborn; I wonder where I got my stubbornness from.

As a child I stuck to grandmother like glue! She would often set me on some books at the dining table and let me draw or color while she washed the floors. Besides that I am not sure if she minded me being under her feet, if she did I do not remember it.

Oh, my goodness could my grandmother cook. Now every week several times a week, it seemed like she lived in the kitchen cooking for the family! When she made pizzas, the kitchen would be covered with different size pizza pans setting everywhere. Of course I would help her, while she was stirring huge pots of tomato sauce I would be nagging her to let me have a taste and of course she would break off a piece of bread dipped in the sauce and put it in my mouth. Now, tell me if that is not a way to get a child to be quiet?

I got up with Grandmother in the mornings, and slept in her room with her. Whatever Grandmother ate; I had to eat, wow now that I think about it, I guess I could have been a bit annoying but she never complained about having me around her ever! I use to love to play with her long white hair, I remember it was soft and I am sure being that young I made a mess of it.

Now don't get me wrong, grandmother also would discipline me when I was bad, like when I played with matches or would always get into her jar of prunes. Goodness.

Grandfather was another love of my life. I remember hanging on to his leg as he walked and I remember him being so handsome! But one day he left and I never seen him again. Grandmother had explained to me that he went to stay with God and although I missed him greatly, I still had my grandmother.

My mother had met this man who was in the army, fell in love and they got married. This meant that mother and I would no longer be living with grandmother. This was a huge tragedy in my life, but mother would not let me live with grandmother without her.

With my stepfather being in the army that meant we had to move a lot, and I know when we left grandmothers house life was no longer the same for me. Whenever we went to visit other relatives in the family, we never visited grandmother's house.

One time mother and her husband took me to a hospital with them to visit my grandmother. I could not figure why she no longer lived in her home but in this hospital instead. I cannot remember who it was but someone explained to me that grandmother had a stroke and could no longer with a lone. Soon after that our visits to see anyone in the family was decreasing and eventually we stopped visiting altogether.

When I was a child, we did not have computers like there are today and some families were so quiet about things; that trying to get any information from them was impossible! It wasn't until the late 70's was I able to track down one of my cousins. When I received a letter in return I was so excited that I almost ripped the envelope open! It was also in that letter I had received news that my grandmother had just died a few months before. So my excitement turned to great sorrow in a heartbeat.

I kept reading the letter over and over trying to make sure I was reading it correctly. Enclosed was this funeral card, my second most prized possession in the world. The back of it reads:

My Jesus have mercy on the soul of Rose Fertitta, July 9, 1978. O Gentlest heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in purgatory, have mercy on the soul of Thy departed servant. Be not severe in Thy Judgment but let some drops of Thy Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames and do Thou O merciful Savior send Thy angels to conduct Thy departed servant to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen

When it comes to material things I usually do not have a strong attachment to them. But the next three items are things that if I were to lose them due to a tragedy, it would honestly break my heart.

A few months back when I was first diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and feeling my worst, I kept feeling my grandmother's comfort and love around me. When the doctor gave me my medications, he explained that I would have times that I felt strange but try my best to ride through them unless they were unbearable.

One morning after I took my medication, I felt strange-really strange! I was had laid down on the sofa for a little while and closed my eyes. With everything I am I felt my grandmother next to me! The next thing I knew, I was on the computer looking at rosaries.

There was no way I could afford a couple of hundred of dollars for a rosary so I was about to give up the search and what happens? I came to a site that had fresh water pearl rosaries on sale for a price I could afford! So I got them and I got a solid water Madonna (Virgin Mary) statue and keep them next to my bed.

My grandmother was catholic and I bet she had a rosary for everyday and she also had many Virgin Mary's around the house. So with the events that took place the morning I got my Madonna and rosaries in my heart I felt like grandmother lead me to them.

So as they sit next to my bed I am filled with comfort that my grandmother is with me. In a sense I suppose you could say that each night before going to sleep, the last thing I do is tell my grandmother good-night.

Often in our lives there are people we become close with, and there are people who we seem close with but we can do with or without them. Well, my mother in law is someone who I feel a very strong bond too. Here is a short story of these two angels.

First, I love every single angel I have and trust me I have a few of them! The first angel in this picture was a Christmas gift from my mother in law during mine and my husband's first Christmas together. She and I often talked about how much I love angels and how deeply I believe in them. When the package arrived (about a week before Christmas I think) my husband and I called his parents to let them know the package arrived safely. Were we going to open them? It was a tuff decision but we decided to open the presents while on the telephone with his parents. All I could do when I opened the gift was cry! I am not sure how to explain it but this gift meant the world to me and touched such a deep part of my heart. The Angel is called Watcher of the Villages and Valley.

The second Angel-wow this is a toughie! My mother in law was very ill, she was in the hospital having many test done and operations. When she got out of the hospital and called us to tell us she was home, she began sharing an experience with me that she had while they were operating on her. Her beliefs are strong as iron and yet she is one of the most down to earth kind of people you will ever speak too. Anyway, she was telling me about a visitation she had (which she believes could have been her guardian angel). Ever since this time, her health is not in the best place.

I believe it was two Christmases ago, she sent my husband and I both something that belonged her that she loved and considered to be a prized possession. She sent me the Angel on the right in the above picture. The Angel is called: Angel of Faithfulness.

Today, her health keeps reaching places where the doctors keep running test to see if they can figure out what is going on. She often jokes with me saying, well nothing new to report here except more doctor appointments for all of us. Gotta Love her!!!

So these are my five most prize possessions in the world outside of my husband and my yorkie! (Oops, did I just call my husband a possession again? ) A picture, a funeral card, rosaries and two angels!