My younger sister has a friend, “Neva,” whose mother died at the age of 92. Neva, an only child, lived far away in another state with her own family, and because of health issues, was able to visit her mother only occasionally. When the time came to empty and clean the mother’s house to put […]
19. Hidden Talent
I’m about to reveal something revolutionary, so pay attention: in my home, I am the chief cook. My wife does all right, but she calls me “an artist in the kitchen.” Growing up in Italy, I was never expected to do much around the house, let alone in the kitchen. There were two reasons for […]
18. Friendships Are Treasure
I never gave much thought to the nature of friendship. If I got along with someone, if we had things to talk or joke about, and if we seemed pleased to see each other, to me, that was a friendship. Since moving away from Italy and settling in the U.S., I have come to examine […]
17. Life Choices
I am not one to quote scripture, but I like this from the Gospel of Thomas (which is not part of the Bible): “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will […]
16. Being Lost
We have all gotten lost at one time or another. It usually happens when we are in a location that is completely unfamiliar. We may be looking for a particular address or a street that will lead us back in the direction we want. A hiker may be looking for a trail that leads out […]
15. I Was Profiled as a Terrorist
Profiling is a tool used by law enforcement agencies “to catch the bad guys,” as they like to tell us. I don’t know how useful profiling is, but from first-hand experience I do know that it is an incredibly easy way to make mistakes and target innocent people. I started visiting my younger sister in […]
14. The War of the Role Models
Recently, my wife asked me if I had any role models as I was growing up in Italy. The concept of “role model” is new to me, so I said no. She pressed on: “Are you sure there wasn’t someone in your life, or even a character from a TV show, whom you admired or […]
13. Our Mothers
Until almost the end of her life, my mother-in-law did not like me and did not accept me as part of the family. She thought of me as a good-for-nothing who married her daughter solely to exploit her. As if my wife would put up with fools and moochers! My wife always said that it […]
12. Sickly Green
Envy is described as a grudge fueled by the coveting of someone else’s qualities, possessions, or stature in life. Envy probably has existed for as long as humans have. Remember Cain and Abel? And, while coveting is prohibited in the Ten Commandments, since about the Third Century A.D., envy has been known as one of […]
11. When the Past Finds You
Every now and then the past – in the form of a person – catches up with us. When it does, will the experience be nostalgic, embarrassing, or poignant? My wife’s first trip to Montréal was memorable in many ways. She went as part of a group of students organized by their college’s French Department, […]
ANTON CIRCLES HIS WORLD 