As I Look Out My Window

TWO GRANDMOTHERS

Two Grandmothers

A sweet little boy named Anthony went to visit Grandma A

He played in the field quite near her house, She told him not to stray

At suppertime she called the lad.  He ran - no time to lose

There was no smile.  Was greeted with “You’ve dirt upon your shoes.”

She didn’t see his tear-filled eyes.  She did not understand

He wished that she would love him so, and take his reaching hand

Her cutting voice pierced Tony’s heart and so he turned away

“mom”, he said,”please take me home, far from Grandma A

A few weeks later, Anthony would visit Grandma B

He played in grandpa’s great big barn.  There was so much to see

He chased the chickens, fed the pigs and slid in lofts of hay

Then rolled on grass with neighbor kids. It was a happy day

At suppertime he wondered if he’d make his grandma sad

since covered head to foot in dirt might even make her mad

But grandma B looked at his face and took him in her arms

She saw him as a “Gift of God? who blessed her country farm

I wrote a poem I thought “divine” and shared it with a friend

I thought the words would touch her heart.  Does passion ever end?

I painted pictures with my pen that time would not erase

of mountains, sunbeams, lofty skies and stunning deep blue lakes

I spoke of stories, ever true, adventures that revealed

the love of loyal families, and faith that surely healed

A writer has to bare his soul  and shake off any fear

    that criticism, badly done, will violate his ear

The editor is always most important, to be sure,

We never want our “dirt” to show if readers we’re to lure

But take me in your arms dear friend, and look me in the eye

and see the vision, dream the dream, before you let it die

For the Love of Lliterature

Oldest English poem was Cadmon’s song

Then cam Robin Hood’s Merry Men’s throng

Next cam Beowulf, triumphant with might

Marie de France and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Next came the Middle English writer Geoffrey Chaucer

En suite, Thomas Mallory, King Arthur’s author

Elizabethan Age brought The Faerie Queen

by Edmund Spenser, when he came on the scene

Scary Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

Inspired by Ben Johnson, Donne and Aemelia Lanyer

Sandwiched in between were Shakespeare’s mighty works

Bringing English literature vast prolific perks

Came the Restoration and Marvell’s lover’s hopes

Milton, Dryden, Swift and Alexander Pope

Samuel Johnson and James Boswell

led the way to Romanticism’s swell

Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron and Keats

Shelley, Burns and Tennyson so neat

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the way to go

Chilling as The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

Great ladies now emerge, both, Dickenson and Browning

And all those Bronte sisters, romantic stories crowning

There’s Cooper, daunting Dickens, Emerson, Thoreau

Hawthorne, Victor Hugo - Les Mis is quite a show

English lit forever spinning in my head

Bursting in my brain with stories I have read

Authors so brilliant, each handing us a rose

Revealing in their hearts, their poetry and prose

So I guess it's my turn to "Spill the beans"

on all my adventures, wishes and dreams

and if no one likes this "bread" or "road" that I take, all I can say is,
"Let them eat cake."

Sister Christine

Sister Christine, Father Dave from OLV  moi

If everyone in the world would learn to smile like Sister Christine

Nary a man would e’er be found that’s ornery, evil or mean

The sweetest woman I’ve ever known who’s bright and witty and free

To cheer and inspire with eyes that shine – why of course, it’s Sister Christine

The music she shares for the nuns of St. Joe brings one to heaven’s door

A teacher of life, of knowledge and truth she gave to children galore

Blessed with beauty, blessed with grace, she continues to share each day

She placed such joy within my heart –in my memory she’ll ever stay

It was by chance I met this nun when I volunteered one day

To decorate and share some cake in the convent where they stay

To my surprise, she loved the poems I thought were just a lark

But t’was her great enthusiasm that wrought in me a spark

To send to all my dearest friends a sample of this art

To share and bare my thoughts that lie so deep within my heart

So all that are encouraged by my words I give to glean

Are surely the encouragement and love of Sister Christine

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In Heaven there Ain't No Beer

That's Why I drink it here!

     Actually, I rarely drink beer - once in Munich, (who wouldn't drink beer in Munich?) but this was a very special occasion.   

     It was at the VFW Post in Grand Island that I found out what an amazing woman, I barely knew, and rarely saw did for hundreds of soldiers and families throughout the world.  She was the sister of my sister-in-law Olga, both German-born, from Vienna Austria.  They saw Hitler march thru the streets of Vienna in 1938 and later, both married American soldiers and came to live here on the island.

     When I walked into the Post, I thought it would be a quiet little Memorial service. No way!  I was amazed to see certificate after certificate of a much loved and appreciated lady who gave endless hours to help soldiers until the 86th year of her life.  the "thank-you" letters were probably written by tear-laden men and women and flowed with gratitude.  The memorial line was flanked with proud VFW men. Beautiful songs were sung and speeches given in her honor.

    It seems Liane was determined to send care packages with all kinds of goodies to soldiers in every battle-field throughout the world.  She raised funds packed and packaged hundreds, working endlessly for this cause.  They say she touched the hearts of families from nearly every state.  

- 

"Happy days" with husband & son

Since no "booze" was allowed, she merely "laced" her cookies with rum and was famous for this rare delicacy.  Liane Dahlberg was a hard-working, "no-nonsense" person with a determination to "get the job done" at any cost, yet she had a sense of humor and great personality, as recalled by everyone there.  I'm sure, she and sister Olga had many amazing stories, brought back from their lives in Austria during World War II, and shared with the men and women at the Post.

     I never cease to be amazed at what one human being, with great love, can do to touch others in this short life on earth.  Well, there may not be any beer in heaven (although it was delicious), I'm sure there are Rum balls on heaven's table of goodies!

Vincenza's Miracle - The Book - The Script - the production

Ballerina Kallista Durbin as Vincenza

THE BOOK
            At long last...Vincenza's Miracle leads us through true 

stories and adventures of the  maternal and paternal

ancestors, of Bernadine de Mike, reaching back to 1850. 

            All lived in the ancient cities and villages of Sicily -Vincenza Bellance in Mussomeli, Salvatore Iacona in Agrigento and St. Elisabetta,  and Josephine Alessi & Anthony Ciccia in Palermo & Valledormo 

          Sicily is a unique island whose language, food, culture, and history are different in every way from any other country in the

 world.  She asks the question, “Will my children,

 grandchildren and all generations to come know the

 personalities and character traits of these courageous men

and women?  Will they realize their struggles,

sacrifices, and triumphs?” An even greater question

is, “Do third, fourth and fifth generation Americans

realize what a great privilege it is to live in this, country

 a land that has been blessed by Almighty God?   

          Precious photos taken from the archives of old

scrapbooks, negatives, news clippings, and slides

 have now been preserved and recorded. .  Best of all, there are the “word of mouth” tales from people who have lived through what the reader will experience, second hand.

Boldly presented, some stories may be shocking, yet most are inspiring. Nothing is more powerful

in the written word than truth.  No one in their wildest imaginations could invent what the

reader will experience through Vincenza’s Miracle

The ebook will be sold on Amazon.com in October for $2.99.  Here's the Forward and Introduction:

Forward   

       I was blessed with two saintly grandmothers and a godly mother.  The men in the family were great protectors and providers, but the women were the true warriors and guardians of the soul. The men also had great intelligence but the women I knew, had the wisdom to discern and live the truth, no matter what the consequences.  Men, all too often carry anger, resentment, and even the desire for revenge, but many women live with constant forgiveness – a cross they carry from day to day.

            As providers, fathers and sons are bent on acquiring money for security, investments, and the necessities of life both now and as a heritage to leave to others.  My two grandmothers were as poor as church mice, yet as rich as kings for their constant cries to heaven for family and friends were laid in the “bank of heaven,” never to be lost, stolen, or rotted away.  It is this “stash” of goods I rely on every moment that I am alive. 

            The faith of the women in my life, including many wonderful friends, are seeds that have been planted in my heart and continue to grow. They blossom into the fruit and flowers I can freely give to others.  Only when we know that a Mighty God lives inside of us are we able to pour out our love for family, friends, and the unlovable.   

            Before the creation of the world, each of us was born into the heart and mind of God who knew the time, place and talents which would be bestowed upon us.  The stories of Vincenza, Josephine and Jessie will not lie in the grave, nor will they ever end.  All three gave me life.  All three gave me eyes to see beyond this world and the courage to choose my eternity.  May their stories pierce every heart, unleashing the potential of greatness of each of us to overflow to all of mankind. 

INTRODUCTION

Sicily – where purple peaks pierce softened pastel skies and angels dance on sunbeams leaving softened shadows of olive trees. Yet, barren landscapes, formerly lush, reveal the Roman scavenger’s ravage of domination and greed endured from earlier centuries. Ruins of Greek pillars, orphaned by voluminous volcano eruptions and earthquakes astound the visitor as well as the stunning beauty of breathtaking seacoasts surrounded by sensuous sunsets.

 It was there that stories of oppression amidst golden churches, thronged by poverty-stricken peasants, were revealed to future generations.  These fleeing immigrants were forced to forsake the land of their birth and join the multitudes with carpet bags filled with hope, to another land promising “milk and honey” and “golden streets”. 

THE DANCE-DRAMA

A scene from the production of Vincenza's Miracl 

The production is a 45 minute presentation encompassing 100 years of life in Sicily and America, featuring the the Bellance, Iacono, Alessi & Ciccia families

Professional actors, singers and dancers will star in  performances in local theaters this fall and spring, through the Royale Dance Theatre,

Multi-media effects will be produced by professional videographer JL De Mike 

Dancers, actors and singers are invited to audition by calling 716 930 7100.