Sicilianaire

Exposing the heart on such a personal level is not always easy. Much of the writing I do is inspired by something I see, not something I feel. Today my inspiration comes from my heart. Joe Romano, my beloved partner asked me, last night," why I never wrote about him in my blog?"
Joe in addition to being a jet engine aircraft mechanic for United Airlines also is owner and Chef of a growing food products business called Sicilianaire. He has bottled two of his family's secret recipes and sells them to such stores as Whole Foods, Draegers and Rainbow Foods, also on-line. Basic Sugo and Caponata are two traditional Sicilian dishes that he grew up with and now bottles for all of us to enjoy. Joe and his brother and sister published a recipe book detailing many more recipes that his mother Josephine prepared for them as they grew up in Sparta, IL. Living with a Chef is a wonderful gift, as I enjoy, on a daily basis, his delicious recipes and new recipes he experiments with as he develops new products and menus.
Ok, that is easy to write about, now the heartfelt love for my Joe. My Joe, as I call him, a name manifested when he called one day shortly after our first date to ask me out on another date. I was not sure who it was, a client or the "my Joe" I had just met online dating. He liked the name, and ever since we have used the possessive my Gretchen and my Joe when we send notes and emails to each other. My Joe is a sensitive man, so much so that he can read my heart better than anyone knowing my mood and feelings, perhaps better than myself. His sensitive way is a great gift for he not only is able to read me; he knows how to soothe my heart when I am down. He is a deep listener, and he is kind and gentle. My Joe and I share a lovely time together in the kitchen, travelling and in our whole life. I could go on and on about my Joe, suffice to say, I love you, my Joe.
PS if you want to see or taste more of Sicilianaire, check out: www.sicilianaire.com

Little Deaths

Maryknoll Sister Luise Ahrens, a former President of the Maryknoll Sisters, who has worked in Cambodia for the last 15 years, spoke last evening. She shared her experiences of her grass roots level help to rebuild a country that had recently been devastated by war. She has been in the convent for 51 years; she wove her stories that often included the little deaths one makes as they engage with people in different cultures. As I understood her to describe: the death of one's own expectation of the outcomes. This concept resonated deeply, as in my own story I think of the many little deaths that make up our life. However, beyond these "little" deaths: deaths of expectation, disappointments, dreams and other losses in mind and heart comes LIFE, the resurrection, and new birth. In new birth, we have possibility, hope and a new slate on which to create. Sometimes we agonize through loss way too long, suffering, instead of letting go and letting God open the gates of heaven to a new life. Many years ago, I was engaged to be married and I was afraid to move into the married life. Fr. Al, the priest who was to marry us, said leaving the single life was a little death and that married life would be a resurrection to something better. Many of you know, I was not able to transition and I lingered in deep suffering and confusion for three years, maybe longer. I continued clinging in my uncertainty of my choice to not get married, and suffered much longer. However, today I am more courageous and understanding, and I am literally resurrected into a better person, more open and thoughtful. That little death took longer then necessary, however, for me that made my new birth sweeter and life more beautiful today.