The Power of One....

It's a funny thing about our journey through life. The touchstones that trigger our memories and rekindle days past are sometimes out of our control. Summer has a way of reminding me more of my youth and the people, places and things that occured when I was a child than any other season, time of year or holiday. Even Christmas, now more wrapped up ( pardon the pun ) in my children's holiday fun; easily more on mind than my childhood holiday past.

I have to guess because I honestly don't know why summer has a way with sparking my youth and things I did in summer's long ago. Maybe it's because summer seems to move much more quickly than the other seasons. Last we met through the pages summer just began,. Now with the fourth of July behind us the unofficial mid way point to summer is already in our rear view mirror. Maybe it's because summer seems to have a more relaxed feel to it, even as an adult, our memories more easily trigger the past. Whatever the reason summer time long ago memories stand out in my mind. And as in all things memories start with people.

One such remarkable person is my Aunt, now deceased. My late father had a wonderful sister who became an icon amongst my brothers, me and other relatitves through how she lived. Summer was a time when Viola Biasini shined brightest. Aunt Viola lived her adult life first in the city of Philadelphia's Mt. Airy section, then later relocating to a home she kept until her passing in Delran New Jersey. Aunt Viola was not like many people. She had a presence about her, one that to this day reminds me what being a friend and family member is about. I was just a kid, pre-teen, and I loved going to see her. She would often cajole my parents into letting me stay for long weekends and sometimes weeks through the summer. Her pool, back in the ancient 1970's wasn't as commonplace as you see today, I'd have fun all day long. My older cousin Ronald and I enjoying each other's company. Viola, a scratch cook, prepared whatever I preferred and being with Viola for me was the sum total of staying at the most luxurious resort. More than the food, the pool and the fun, the love of my Aunt was enriching. She always made time for me, and passed this same love onto my many cousins whom I'd often see making visits to her home through the summer and come to think of it, all year long.

Whatever pain she was dealing with, financial burdens or other life stress most of us know as adults, Viola Biasini kept a positive outlook and showed that life's most precious resource is family and she put family first in all things and time she afforded to us. I think the greatest gift of all those memories is how I, and hopefully the rest of us who have an Aunt Viola, learn how to look at life today. All this technology, these 'so called' marvelous advances and with more capabilities to get our work done more quickly, there our times I think technology has done us in. Think about it, we have more tools to do our work. Email, faxes, instant messaging, cell phones, lap top computers, home and office computers -- all of these things to help us get work done almost instantly. The big problem is that the technology itself is great, except when in many cases, all it's done is make us and our employers expect us to do that much more. Whatever time technology has saved us it gets swallowed up in our own expectation to do more with any time dividend we may have accrued.

The point in my view is what are we doing in our families to stand out and make a difference? Despite all the stuff we have to get done, are we willing to create memories for our family, friends and loved ones? Will my children and my nieces and nephews point to me when they get older the same way I point to my Aunt Viola? Will I be remembered as taking time to be a great parent and family member or will my legacy be 'dad or Uncle Dave' is always working, always on the computer, phone or just too busy all the time. Sadly the latter I fear may be my descriptor if I don't keep my eye on it. This summer I am going to make a few suggestions on myself, maybe you want to follow along. Take your kids on vacation and be a kid with them. Leave the phone, laptop and work at home, or better still leave it at work. It'll be there when you get back. Take work with you and it's like you never got away. Not only are you depriving yourself of a vacation but the distance between you an d the family begins to set in. We're all entitled to some time off, so do exactly what you're supposed to do when you're off. Relax, goof off, just don't work. Kill the technology and enjoy human interaction and good old fashioned fun. Be daring, do something you don't normally do ( as long as it's not like working ).

I have a mass in honor of my dear Aunt later this month at my parish, St. Isidore's. I think I'll take the day with my sons and after mass do what Viola would have done for me. Take the boys swimming, buy them a big ice cream sundae and enjoy each other's company. If Viola's watching maybe she'll smile and finally think that her nephew's figured it out. She was giving me what she wanted me to give others. Every time I forgot, or just simply didn't do it, I know I probably caused her grief.

If you don't have that Aunt, Uncle or relative in your family that stood out, then I have one other piece of advice. Nothing is stopping you and I from being the next shining example of future memories for our kids. Nothing of course except ourselves. Poolside, in line at the water ice stand and other summer cool spots in a memory making mode, see ya around town.