The pictures are meant to be blurry and out of focus to signify our fading memory:
I wasn't able to sleep last night, I don't know if it was because my air conditioner was out of service or what it was. But I feel exhausted this morning. From what I do remember, I dreamt of being back in Italy. I had been to my parents home town Settefratti, about 9 times when I was a kid. It was in the mountains just south of Rome. I dreamt that this huge monument, which stood directly in the middle of the town square had been replaced with a bar/cafe/convenient store.
I ranted and raved at the fact they would remove such a milestone to the small town. It was a reminder of all those who fought in World War II. During the days, all the kids from town would gather around it and talk and play. We even had our own positions on the monument. Mine was usually the tippy-top because I was the baby. My siblings were in high school around this time.
Right next to the monument stands a small church where mass is held pretty much every day of the week. Even though there are about 6 church's in this tiny town, that church was the only one that was frequently used. Even for weddings when it was clear that not everybody could fit inside of it and it didn't even have any air conditioner.
I even went to Italy just to have my communion made at that tiny little church. As you could imagine, there were about 10 of us kids receiving our communion that day and all the families were no where close to being able to fit inside. So, while the ceremonies went on, the overflowing people usually hung around the monument until the receptions followed. In my dream though, I dreamt the monument was actually the church that they had gotten rid of.
You see, in Italy, church is a huge deal. Old women would seriously go to mass every day and pray the rosary 3 times a day. My poor grandmother was no exception. When her only son died in a car accident in the mid 70's she wore all black every single day for the rest of her life to show God that she would never forget about her sons death. She never got over it. She took it to her grave.
When I was born 6 years later, my mother named me after her passing brother. My grandmother was remotely happy to know that at least now he could be remembered. My grandmother though, never looked at me the same way as her son. She always talked about him and compared me to him. "We had the same this, the same that, but he did this and you never did." As a child I felt neglected by her but way over-protected by my mother who was afraid I might die just like her brother.
Anyway, back at home there was a Settefrattese Social Club which would raise money to reconstruct the church's in Settefratti. Sometimes they would hold simple dinners. Other times it was field trips and dinner dances.
Everyone loved the dinner dances. It was like a small prom, just with all your relatives and closest friends from the same town. Since Settefratti was so small, only about 400 people, it was easily possible that the person you were dancing with was your cousin.
Most of the time, I wasn't able to attend because I was too young and by the time I was old enough, I didn't want to go anymore. Maybe I was bitter about it but I had gotten use to this, since I was 12 years apart from my sisters. I was often excluded. But the club was able to raise lots of money to keep the old church's in Settefratti from rotting down to ash.
My grandmother passed away about 3 or 4 years ago, but my grandfather still lives there. My parents have been trying to get him to move back to the States with us, but he won't. He wants to be close to his wife and son. He has a farm to tend to. And now he replaces my grandmother by going to church and doing the rosary everyday. I've only been to visit him once since my grandmother has passed.
When I woke up this morning I thought the church was gone. I realized that without that church that town is nothing and the people that live there, including my grandfather, would have nothing.
Back here in the states it's a lot different. Some people try to use religion to personalize their own agendas. Without the church I'm sure they would find another way to scam for their personal agendas though. In Italy you pray to your God instead. You actually go to church. You could never get away with what they try to do here in Italy, never.
Still, I can't remember 1991.
