As a kid growing up in an Italian-American family, food was such a major part of our lives. Every day, my mother, my aunt and my grandmother created amazing meals in their tiny kitchens. They got such a sense of satisfaction when the family would chow down and just enjoy all their hard work. My grandmother would sit back with that look of satisfaction as she watched us eat heartily, especially her four grandchildren. She would always say, “GUSTO”. My little niece, Brenna, ce

One of my very favorite TV shows was Everybody Loves Raymond. I guess being Italian-American from Brooklyn, NY I could certainly relate to the show and the characters. I enjoyed the show so much that I’ve recorded many of my favorite episodes. Even though I’ve watched them many times, I still laugh out loud. One of my favorite episodes is entitled, Talk to Your Daughter. In this episode, Raymond decides he is going to be a responsible parent and answer what he thinks are his

What if people who have inspired us, encouraged us, entertained us, and changed the world had listened to the naysayers?

How often do we misread people? Or better yet, how often do people misread us? I think a lot depends the lens we use to look at things.

A few days ago, something happened that made my day but got me thinking. I was entering a building, when a man, who was nearby, came over an

I don’t want to look back on my life and think ‘I should have’. I’ve had this attitude since I was a child. My Italian-American grandmother called me a “ruffiana” which means “a free spirit”. One cannot tie a “ruffiana” down. I wanted to experience life, much to the chagrin of my mother. She wanted to protect me from harm. To me that meant missing out on the things that were calling my name. To this day, it amazes me that even though I was shy, I was fearless. Diving In