Dear Family,
I learned something to make me happy this week about a Saint named Pio. He was The only priest in Catholic history to bear the Stigmata, the five wounds of Jesus crucified. Padre Pio lived in a town named Pietralcina, where he was born with the name Francesco Forgione. On September 7, 1910, while at prayer in Piana Romana, he received the invisible Stigmata. On September 20, 1918, while at prayer in San Giovanne Rotrondo, he received the visible Stigmata. Padre Pio was Canonized a Saint in 2002. You can learn more about him at www.padrepio.com or in a google search. Ralph D'Aloia and Francesco Forgione were both born in 1887 and each lived to be 82 years old.I learned about Padre Pio in a prayer book given to me by a friend who I work with named Theresa, named after St. Theresa of Lisieux. Anyway I was reading some of the prayers in this small book and got to wondering just where in Italy this town was. A quick search and I discovered that Pietralcina was very close to Fragnito Mon Forte, where our Grandparents came from. This is a beautiful area east of Naples in the Provincia de Benevento. It is a Mountainous area and very beautiful. The villages were only about 10 or 12 miles apart and as Padre Pio was close in age to Grandpa and Grandma Deloia, I am convinced that they must have crossed paths a few times on their walks on the country trails.
Interestingly, I also learned that the Shrine to St. Padre Pio in the region of Italy known as Puglia is the second most visited shrine in the world with about seven million pilgrims per year. Linda and I drove near there about 10 years ago, but we did not know about it then. By the way, everything in Italy is beautiful.
I was told to keep tract of some of the positive experiences each day and struck me as the most interesting and comforting of the week. It was a good week anyway and I've been feeling good. The chemo is not so toxic, but it does have some side effects that are a little bothersome. They are usually gone by the Wednesday after the week of therapy. I take a 2 mile walk each day after work and it helps me think a little straighter. Actually my work has been a joy and I feel really my best when I'm there. My coworkers have been so nice to me and I'd like to think that I can stay involved for some time yet.
February 8
Today I took Sammy to work with me as Linda is on a vacation with her friends. The people in my office and some of the patients as well were truly enamored with her immediately. She has developed quite the personality lately. She didn't want to come home with me so I'll have to bring her in again tomorrow. Sammy was fairly quiet until we visited Allison's family and the kids played with her. Now, I no longer have to worry about this dog's drive and ability to learn.
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| Minnesota Grapes 2011 |
