Friday, October 8, 2010

saying good bye to Auntie Teresa

On September 9th my aunt Teresa passed away. The memories of the times spent in Italy in that little house overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Ionian Sea from one balcony and the mystical mountains from the other balcony will never be just a memory. We had some wonderful times with my aunt when we would go to Montepaone for the summers. She would always make it special for us since she had no children of her own. My uncle and my aunt were a great couple. After he husband passed away she lost interest in many of her daily routines. The house she once loved she just abandoned . She would just sit on her steps outside waiting for all the other widows to sit and talk for hours about anything and everything. This became her life. It made her happy just hang with the women on the ruga(the little street ).
When I would go visit her the last couple of years . I would find her wondering the little streets or just sitting in the little chair made out of wood and stray looking as if she was lost. Then she would notice me and she would laugh and with in a split second she would cry. When I last saw her in June I knew I would not see her on that little chair again with her friends.
After her funeral I returned to the house which was left to my family and started to clear all the years of clutter she had left behind.
Now I have started to sit with the ladies in the ruga who tell stories of my aunt in her last years, and stories of my mom and dad and of all the Monteponese that are departed.
While in that house and town I noticed how happy I was . It is the simplicity of life that these wonderful people have showed me and I miss that now that I am home in the States. Auntie Teresa lived that simple life . I know today that is why she never wanted to leave that little house in that special little town in Calabria.
My brother and sisters and I will be traveling to Italy more often and never take for granted what was left to us.
Our family home passed down from our parents who also owned the house with auntie Teresa.

Calabria is always been the most special place on earth for us.