Author: Louis Dell'Olio

…………………..”JUST FOR LAUGHS!”……….don’t we all need a few laughs once in a while!……not too much laughter these days!!!!

………………….Today….MEMORIAL DAY…..as I was driving through Connecticut towns there were many men, women and children waving flags, in patriotic clothing, gathering to watch parades…..I know I have already posted about my Uncle Vito, deservedly so, who died in WWll serving his country…..but after seeing all of these people I felt remiss not mentioning ALL of the men and women who died defending OUR FREEDOM, the RIGHT OF LAW…….the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES…that is in peril today……On this Memorial Day we celebrate all of those who perished fighting in the many wars this country has been apart of…..but…..we should also celebrate those that did survive wars….who through the grace of God made it back home to their loved ones, but have since passed away!…..They fought for the Constitution and our freedom, and we should not permit them to have died invane!..JOHN MCCAIN………..has become a symbol for me, and I’m sure for many others, of what a TRUE AMERICAN HERO looks like……This is a man who was in a prisoner of war camp….was beaten and suffered life long injuries, but somehow survived. He refused to leave the camp for his own freedom unless his fellow soldiers were released too!….His captives refused his request, and so he remained with his band of brothers……That is what a HERO looks like….The very fact that he was ridiculed by our so called president is a disgrace that we all should bare…..This know draft dodger, who got out of service because he claimed to have “bone spurs” had the gall to say John McCain was not a hero because he was captured……He isn’t one iota of the man Senator McCain was……..So…..I felt it my duty to bring attention to all soldiers who have perished….those who died in combat, and those who were lucky enough to survive, but have since passed away…..To those men and women I give my unyielding gratitude…..today….this day of remembrance……tomorrow……and forever.

………………..The photo is of my uncle……..VITO COLONNA…….He was married to my father’s sister Mary……He was her first love…They had two beautiful daughters, Phyllis and Grace…..and I mean beautiful physically, inside and out, with great hearts….He died in France during WWll from a gunshot to the head…..My Aunty Mary, like so many others, was a young widow with two very young daughters…..He was killed many years before I was born so I never knew him. I only heard stories, mostly from my mother, who said he was a wonderful man….very kind, and my mother said….movie star handsome…with beautiful green eyes….His two daughters looked very much like their dad and resembled his family…..My Aunt Mary and her two daughters lived in an apartment in my grandfather’s house where we also lived. The two girls were about the same ages as my brothers so they were extremely close, and always together….like brothers and sister more that cousins….I have lovely pictures of the four of them that my mother gave to me…..My Aunt eventually married again, and had two more daughters…….My cousin Phyllis, the older daughter, had two beautiful talented sons….Ricky and Jim…..She died from breast cancer when she was in her 30s…..This too was many many years ago….I was a teenager ….I remember she was very young, and her passing was very sad…It was very hard for the boys to lose their mother at such young ages….She adored them and they adored her….Her sister, my cousin Grace, had two children….a daughter and a son….Laura and Joe……Grace just passed away from colon cancer earlier this month….She was a wonderful beautiful person with a great wit and a wonderful laugh…She had beautiful green eyes….like her dad……Grace was very close to her half sisters….Grace became the matriarch after my Aunt Mary passed away……….Now they are finally all together…..my Uncle Vito, my Aunt Mary with their two girls….Phyllis and Grace…..who he never got to see grow up, and become wonderful people…or to see his four grandchildren………On this Memorial Day I wanted to remember my Uncle Vito……who I never knew…..but wished I had.

……………..On this past Saturday I presented, with Cathy, a Facebook live show…..QVC was having a HUGE MEMORIAL DAY SALE, and my jewelry was a part of it……so….we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get together for the Holiday….and have a show too!……Cathy arrived at 12:30. They hit lots of holiday traffic, but arrived safe and sound…..I had already prepared all of the trays holding the jewelry with all of the necessary notes….style numbers, colors, sizes, prices, ez pays etc etc….It’s a lot of prep work. The trays were all laid out in my gathering room so Cathy and I could edit….we didn’t want the show to be too long…..At 2:00pm we began the show…..Time seemed to fly by, but the show was 1 hour and 30 minutes long. From the reactions we got it seemed everyone enjoyed it, and truly reacted to the great pricing……The SALE is still going on and will continue until tomorrow night…..If you missed the show you can still see the video! We had a good time. After the show Cathy and I continued videoing and went outside to see my garden and how it has progressed…..I hope everyone who purchased something is happy with what they receive. I think the jewelry, all MADE IN ITALY….looks wonderful, and I’m proud of it…..Have a wonderful MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY……..and remember we are celebrating all of those MEN and WOMEN who sacrificed their lives so we could be free, and enjoy the fruits of our DEMOCRACY!