My American History

My great grandfather came to America from Southern Italy in 1905. He was here for 20 years before he became a naturalized citizen. By that time, he had already had 9 American-born children. 

The year before his naturalization, the government enacted a law that drastically limited the number of immigrants from Southern & Eastern European countries, especially Italians & Eastern European Jews. Supporters of the Act wanted to establish a distinct American identity by favoring native-born in order to “maintain the racial preponderance of the basic strain on our people and thereby to stabilize the ethnic composition of the population”. In other words, they wanted to keep the country “white”. (For those of you who don’t know, Italians were considered racially inferior to white Anglo Saxons.) 

Without becoming a citizen, he may not have been able to re-enter the country if he had returned to Italy to visit friends and relatives. He wasn’t deported, he was given the opportunity to become a citizen after being here for 20 years without committing to citizenship.

My paternal great grandfather emigrated from Poland in 1905 and was also here for 20 years before becoming a citizen. He most likely had finally chosen to become a citizen for the same reason that my Italian great grandfather did, as people from his country were also being restricted. He had 15 American-born children.

I wonder how many Americans know their American History. Not what they were taught in school, or told by the media, but what their family’s American experience actually was and how similar it could be to many immigrants today.

Deaf, Dumb and Blind

While walking through the mass of people on their way to work this morning, I looked around and thought to myself – we really do live in a society of deaf, dumb, and blind (myself included).

Here we all are, walking like cattle as we file off the train. A slow pace inches us to the automatic doors that open to herd us into the station. No words being said, pressed up against the person next to you, like unaware animals on their way to slaughter.

The process continues as we step onto the escalator – a conveyor belt that takes us up out of the underground depot and into the bright sun that assaults us as if without warning. In unison, we flip our sunglasses down and pop our earbuds in.  It’s now time for the mindless walk to the office.  This is where the deaf, dumb, and blind really becomes obvious.

The streets are filled with people walking at a fast pace, heads down. Wires strung from our ears, blocking out all offensive noises. Our lips move to the lyrics we are hearing without any sound leaving our mouths.  Eyes are shielded by dark glasses to prevent the need to make eye contact with the people we bump into as we plow through the crowd and dart across the streets like a game of Frogger; dodging taxis and bike messengers, occasionally sidestepping a crowd of pigeons or a homeless person sprawled out on the sidewalk.

Eventually we all make it to our “final destination”.  So here I am, on the 22^nd floor of a building made of glass and steel.  My office is floor to ceiling windows, keeping me out of the elements, but being sure to remind me what I am missing.  It feels a bit like the primate house at the zoo, minus the bananas.  Earbuds back in to help avoid any unnecessary contact with my co-workers.  Blinders on as I stare straight ahead at my computer screen.  The countdown to 5pm starts as I anxiously wait to begin my deaf, dumb and blind journey back to the cattle call.

Everyone Says I’m Sorry

“The thing I find most amazing in Amazing Grace, is the chance to give it out. Maybe that’s what love is all about.” ~Brandon Heath

I recently learned about grace. Yes, I already knew what “grace” was, the definition at least. But I had the chance to actually experience something that really made me understand grace.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, love is on everyone’s mind; especially those who are unhappy or unlucky in love. Love is such a powerful thing! So powerful that it can dictate how you feel about yourself and the world around you.

I recently read that the phenomenon of being “love sick” is an actual diagnosis! Yes, there are some negative side effects: change in appetite, insomnia, dizziness, and confusion (sounds like a commercial listing the side effects for some kind of new drug). But of course with every negative comes a positive.

Are You Ready For Love?

Author Unknown

A good relationship isn’t a game you play or an ego trip you take. It is about love and two people. Loving someone can give us the greatest joy we can ever know and it can hurt more than we can believe too. When it does not really hurt when that person did something disappointing to you, but really hurts when you see that person in pain and sadness, then you know you truly love that person. 



Loving someone means you should be ready to experience heartache and happiness at the same time. That’s the reward and that’s the risk. Unless we are willing to experience it, we will never really know what it’s like to love and be loved. 



Sympathy, Empathy, Pity and Compassion: Understanding the Difference

I recently had a discussion with a friend about compassion. After talking with her, I realized that there are so many people out there who don’t really understand the difference between sympathy, empathy, pity and compassion; and there is a very distinct difference.  There are lots of people who believe they are compassionate, but do they know what it truly means to be compassionate? I would say that most people experience sympathy, empathy or pity and confuse that with compassion. This realization inspired me to write this blog today.