A Stroll Down Memory Lane

IS YOUTH WASTED ON THE YOUNG?
"In August 2009, I started my blog "fate will find you," never expecting that fate would actually find ME because of my blog.

Just a month after I started the blog, an anonymous reader posted a comment under one of my high school stories, inquiring if I could be the same girl he remembered dating in high school. After reading his comments, it only took me a minute to realize who he was but I was not 100% sure until he left his initials.

Rocco found me purely by accident; however, the reason I started my blog is that I believe there are no accidents where fate is concerned and everything happens for a reason.

I grew up in a very strict Italian family and I was not allowed to date until I was 16. My parents made exceptions as long as I dated the sons of their best friends. They were always trying to "fix me up" with my "cousins" because they were such nice boys. Naturally, I wanted to find a nice boy on my own...and I did. Rocco was the first boy I ever dated; tall, dark and handsome and how could my parents object...he was Italian! We dated through my senior year of high school and he moved away when I was 18. Now, 40 some years later, he happened upon my blog!

It has been wonderful, reminiscing and catching up with each others lives. I feel truly blessed and it has done my heart good to take this stroll down memory lane. There are certain people who no matter how much time has passed, they will always be very special because they have touched our lives in such a memorable way and we always carry a piece of them in our hearts...we are truly connected and the memories and experiences of our youth have shaped us into the people we are today. It is comforting to know that we have traveled through time and still hold our memories dear to our heart."

"A moment lasts all of a second but the memory lives on forever!"

Numerology

LUCKY NUMBER

When my son was born, his aunt gave him a Cabbage Patch doll. They were really big in the early 1980's but through his toddler years, he didn't have much interest in it so I kept it in the box and put it away. I actually forgot all about it until a few years ago when I was going through the attic and found it.

At this point, my son was in his mid-twenties and I asked him if it would be all right if I sold it on Ebay. He chuckled and told me to "Go for it." As I took it out of the box and examined it closer, I realized that I could NEVER sell the doll. Here is why.....

When my son was in the 6th grade, he started playing ice hockey. He loved skating and playing hockey so much that he continued playing until he graduated from high school. When he started in 6th grade, he randomly picked the number 55 for his jersey and kept that number for 6 years.

When I took the Cabbage Patch doll out of the box, he was wearing a T-shirt with the number 55 on it!! I could not believe my eyes.....

Enjoy Every Moment

Live every moment - Stop and smell the flowers - Live each day as if it were your last - Easy to say but hard to do.....

In 1983, I lived in a huge neighborhood and only knew my immediate neighbors and those with children my children's ages. There was an adorable woman who lived in the first house in the development but I never had the opportunity to really know her. I knew who she was....everyone knew who she was because she was so cute and would always be seen mowing her lawn in her bikini! Iris was very European and when not mowing the lawn in her bikini, she always dressed in high heels and mini skirts.

We moved out of the neighborhood in 1987. Ten years later, I was shopping in a department store, 40 miles away. I heard a woman speaking with a thick German accent. It was Iris from the old neighborhood. She was a cashier in the ladies department. I went over to introduce myself and she said she recognized my face from a picture that a mutual neighbor friend had sent her just 2 weeks ago.

We talked about friends we had in common and the old neighborhood. She told me she had also moved away and I told her I wished I had gotten to know her when we lived in the same neighborhood. She was full of life, just adorable with her cute accent and wearing her high heeled shoes.

Sadly to say, I heard a year or so later that Iris had fallen down the steps of her house, broke her neck and died. Some of the old neighbors commented that she was wearing her high heels when she fell.

Iris was only in her mid-forties when she passed but she made a lasting impression on all of us and I do believe she enjoyed every moment.

"We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand ... and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late."
- Marie Beynon Ray

Two Hearts Believing in Just One Mind

This story is about an incredible friendship that has lasted for over 30 years.

Bella and David met in the 1970's and became great friends. They had soulful conversations and were always there to support each other whenever they needed a shoulder to cry on.

David moved away and did not have any contact with Bella for many years. Bella would always call David on his birthday and tried to keep up her tradition over the years. At some point, Bella lost track of David and many years later found him again. They did not get together for a visit again until almost 18 years later. About a year ago, Bella, in keeping with her tradition, called David to wish him a happy birthday. They did not want to wait another 18 years, so they decided to meet shortly after David's birthday.

 

A week before they met, Bella was shopping and saw this plaque that made her think of David and she impulsively bought it for him. The plaque read: "If you believe, all things are possible."

 

When Bella and David met, she proudly gave him the present she had found especially for him. To her surprise, David also handed Bella a gift in a beautifully wrapped box. When she opened it, she was speechless. Inside was a bracelet that read: "Nothing is impossible, if you believe."

Two Hearts, One mind - Forever Friends - Anything truly is possible!

Rosey Pelosi

For those of you who do not recognize this woman, she is Nancy Pelosi, the "Speaker of the House."

For those of you who do not personally know me, my maiden name is Pelosi. When people would have trouble pronouncing our last name, my mother would always say, "Rhymes with Rosey, Rosey Pelosi." Growing up, Pelosi was not a common name and the only Pelosi's in the phone book were one of our relatives.

About 3 years ago, I was in Washington, DC with a friend of mine who was attending a pharmaceutical conference. On the last day, they were all invited to a cocktail reception featuring a guest speaker, Nancy Pelosi. He invited me to join them and when we entered the room of hundreds of people, we all mingled and introduced ourselves. I was surrounded by doctors and lawyers and very influential people from different pharmaceutical companies nationwide. They all wanted to know "who" I was with.

Oh dear, who was I with....I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. "I am Nancy Pelosi's cousin," I proudly exclaimed. Suddenly I had made too many friends! They wanted to know when she was coming and could I introduce them, etc. I calmly told them she would be arriving soon and snuck away to find her and save face.

I went up to the stage area where she was speaking and luckily found her publicist. I explained that I was a Pelosi and would love to meet her. I was prepared to show my driver's license to prove I really was not some nutcase but shortly thereafter, Nancy finished her presentation and came over to me and shook my hand, hugged me and a photo was taken of the two of us.

I told her my relatives were from Baltimore and she said her husband Paul's family were also from Baltimore. Who knows, Paul could really be a distant cousin of mine but it really didn't matter. I had fun, saved myself from what could have been an embarrassing situation and got to meet the Speaker of the House!