My Influences (A Sequel to Influences)

illustration: Debra Olivadese

Note how the bird color is influenced by the black dots in the sunflower centers…

My Influences:
I lived among the roots of my older sister and brother:

study, create, excel at academia

loved the nuns; strove to please and be the best

loved the solidarity of the religious life, and the Catholic scholars, especially Teilhard de Chardin

Every time my sister dropped a boyfriend, I picked him up. The Daria’s, Ray Siller, Dominic Natoli, Peggy Canis.

At one point, my sister and I dated two brothers: the Salerno’s. Irish boys, Italian boys, and German boys!

Family was our entertainment and my Mother’s family had strong women and professional men with a generous share of priests and a deep Catholic devotion.

Daily Mass and Communion blessed our days.

Dad’s family had illegal liquor, mafia connections and the Family Lawyer.