Thanks to Kathy Wait Myers for my first blogging award! With this comes the responsibility of telling you seven things about myself that you do not or
probably do not know! This is followed by seven favorite blogs. Here goes:
1. I work full time at a local hospital watching and interpreting EKGs.
My husband was disabled and eventually had a heart valve replacement -
that got me interested in a career change.
2. My desire is to make a 'living' from my writing -both my books and
blogging. I have been writing since I can remember, poems, stories,
essays.
3. I would love to live at least part time in Italy. This was a dream
since childhood.
4. I am working on my Masters Degree after graduating this year Magna
Cum Laude. I originally attended Drexel University for five years
fresh out of high school.
5. I am blessed with the world's best in laws - you may already have read
my postings on this subject but I cannot emphasize it enough. They have
always been there to laugh, cry, love, listen!
6. I have been blessed also with some great friends in my lifetime -
some are still close and in touch after forty plus years. They are best
friends because they listen, they love, they care enough to be honest.
7. I still miss my dad after more than 20 years just like it was yesterday.
But I am blessed with a step dad straight from heaven! He has been married
to my mom for twenty years and he is a keeper!
My favorite seven blogs to nominate for the Kreative Blog Award are varied in content. I don't always agree with all of their personal views but I love them
for their creativity as well as ability to be respectful of others even in
the midst of often heated debates! Listening to opposing viewpoints makes one
better informed - how do you know you disagree if you never 'talk' to the other person??

1. Bleeding Espresso

2. Geneabloggers

3. Tre Cancelle

4. FootnoteMaven

5. Dear Myrtle

6. Style with HeatherK

7. Man of Roma

Just a reminder - visit my other blog at Amore e Sapore di Famiglia

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been recognized as a typical and unique American holiday but in actuality most nationalities have similar holidays. They are usually some form of a religious feast day giving thanks and homage to a favorite saint or deity for blessings in one's life.
For me to count my blessings is a difficult event. I doubt there are enough hours in any day to make a complete enough list of all of them. There are the obvious such as my personal faith, my family - near and far - my job, my friends, my home, my physical wellbeing after surviving cancer years ago, even my country in this time of political discontent! And then there are the not so obvious ones. Walks on the beach, here and in Italy, listening to the birds sing early in the morning as they come to feed at our feeders, watching my 19 yr cat act like he is still a kitten. My list can go on forever. The point is, we need to realize just how much of our day to day lives are filled with blessings we don't acknowlege and think about. There are so many moments we can enjoy that others cannot. How many of us go hungry at night? Do we know most of our children will die before schoolage? Are we struggling to find work? Or are we just not happy with the job we have even though it pays our bills while others can't? Do we complain that we want a vacation while others have never had one? Is that head cold annoying you - but someone else is dying a slow painful death? Or are you (like myself) complaining that our house values have dropped - but we have a home while others sleep in alleys or worse?
So as you count your blessings and I count mine, let's both remember to pray a multitude of blessings on those less fortunate, less blessed than we are -- and if at all humanly possible, share some of those blessings this season with others!

Welcome!

Welcome to the first post of my newest blog! If you haven't already guessed, I am Valentino's wife - also known as Bonnie. I know it is unusual for a woman of today to define herself as someone's wife instead of as herself first - but I have been blessed to find myself because of my great husband! Who I am is shaped by my faith and family first and foremost!
Let me set a few ground rules for my blog and anyone who would like to post. I have personal spiritual and political values that may or may not be discussed here from time to time. This is my blog and I pretty much will share on a variety of topics - everything (almost) is fair game here - but the limits of that disclaimer 'almost' is set by me. All I ask is everyone understands that they need to forget personal attacks and to be respectful of other's viewpoints! Everyone is welcome here - I will rarely if ever ban anyone - but I do reserve the right to delete totally offensive comments - but please understand that although I do not wish to get us tangled in all the legalities of things, everyone is responsible for their own comments. I take no responsibility for others legally. By the same token all of my work here is personal intellectual property - you may quote or link to anything here but anything you use - please give proper credit back to me!
Other than this -- welcome! Come in to my world for a bit, sit back with a cup of tea or coffee or whatever - relax and let's chat a bit! Your comments will always be more than welcome!