If this page would have a title, I would call it 'The last time I saw you'.
Paola was one of my best friends growing up. While I did not meet her until my teen years, we became fast friends. We had so much in common it was scary. We liked the same music, liked the same guys, we watched the same shows (CHiPs was our 'drug' of choice, kind of ironic, since I just bought season 2 on DVD today! I waited 30 years for this!) and I could go on. She was the niece of a fellow DJ at the local radio station in Italy where I used to do the 'dedication' show on Sundays. Yes, I was a DJ, did I ever mention that? It was eons ago. After I moved to the US we use to write each other every week for years and years.
At any rate... Christmas 2001 was the last time I saw her on one of my trips to Italy. About a year later she went to the doctor because she could not get rid of her headaches. The doctors found a malignant tumor in her brain, and she died on February 29th, 2004, about a year after her diagnose, just a few months shy of her 39th birthday. Heartbreaking? I can't describe, really. If it would not have been a 'leap' year, she would have died March 1st, which is my Alex's anniversary of his birth/death. What about her daughter? Yes, the little girl in the picture, the one that took her 8 years to have after infertilty treatments and two IVFs that didn't work? Her little girl is being raised by her husband's parents, which is also ironic, since she herself was raised by her grandparents after her mother abandoned her.
While admittedly we weren't very close in her last years, I will never forget her sweet smile and how she brightened my life. I will miss you forever PAOLA!!!
Page was made from a kit called "Floral Frenzy" by Linda Walton of 3Scrapateers.com. Her BLOG is here:
http://bonscrapatitdesigns.blogspot.com/. I did use a couple of other elements (the alpha set and the tripleframe) from other unknown sources.
BIGGER VERSION of this page is here:
http://public.fotki.com/ebworld/personal-photos/scrap-pages/2000s/dec01.html
Friday, June 06, 2008
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1 comments:
Ah Siliva, I am nearly TOO teary-eyed to type! There is SO much I wish to say, but my time is short this evening.
First of all, it is SO nice to meet you. WOO HOO, someone who can help me learn the Italian that I have forgotten!
I SO love your country and was TOTALLY enthralled with and by it for a month seven years ago!
I am MOST honored that you selected my kit, Floral Frenzy, to do such a SWEET and AMAZING tribute to your dear friend Paola. We just never know what is to come in our lives and this is one of those stories that reminds one to be EVER thankful for EACH day and not to take ONE thing for granted. BEAUTIFULLY done Silvia.
I would visit Italy again in a heartbeat. Such a BEAUTIFUL county with such LOVELY people.
One of my fondest memories, aside from the wonderful friendships made while there, is to have witnessed the AMAZING sight of MEN gathering together to talk as dusk was approaching. Or walking down the quaint streets and hearing them laugh as they were playing cards in the basement of their homes.
I spent Christmas Even at St. Peters and was WIDE-EYED to watch the display of FIREWORKS outside of the apartment I was in while visiting my friend's family in Rome over the Christmas holidays. This, of course, being New Year's Eve!
I could go on and on. I am SO happy to meet you and if you wish to e-mail me, I would love to send you links to the few layouts that I was fortunate enough to have completed several years ago.
lindawalton (at) caltel (dot) com
One of my goals in the near future is to pick up with my study of the Italian language and to be able to hold a conversation with someone else.
Well sweetie, I must go and prepare for my blog entry and finish up my new kit!!! How wonderful it would be to have more time, but then I'm sure I'd manage to find a way to use it ALL up as well!!!
Ciao bella.
Baci e abbracci,
Linda :)
P.S. What part of California are you in? I reside in Northern California in Calaveras County at the base of the foothills. In the country!
Take care and THANK YOU for stopping by, that means so much and thank you again for using my designs for such a VERY special tribute.
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