Saturday, November 11, 2006

Farewell zio Giuseppe


Just few lines to remember a good man. My mom's uncle Giuseppe passed away a couple of days ago, and today is his funeral.

It's a shame I cannot attend, but my heart is surely there, thanking this good man for having been part of my life.

He spent most of his life in near-poverty, as after WWII he was a carpenter, and his job was to fix and make furniture. He was a real artist with his hands, carving and modelling wood with grace and beauty. Nowadays he would have made a good living to restore antique furniture, but back then things were different. Luckily his late years were made comfortable with the help of one of his sons who made furtune with a self-made businness and part of his family that never abandoned him.

What I will remember of uncle Giuseppe is his kindness, his readiness to help me at any moment, no matter how busy he was (he made so many toys for me when I was a kid!), his calm and friendly voice and his gentle smile, ALWAYS present on his face no matter how hard life had been with him. He was also a kind hearted person, one of the few to embrace my dad into the family when he moved to Milan in 1959. For many of the family, he was a foreigner since he was coming from the south but for my beloved grandpa (Giuseppe) and uncle (Giuseppe) my father was like a son. Surely my dad never forgot this, and I never saw him treating anyone with more respect than these two men.

Uncle, I will miss bringing you the Xmas present this year, it's been my task since I can remember... It's so true you never really appreciate what you have till you don't have it anymore... Good-bye uncle, you'll surely be missed!! This is my way to honor you, hope you can see it and appreciate it... Rest in peace...

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