LaVigna should exist as an ongoing chronicle of our collective experience, compiling, recording, and preserving the rich cultural heritage our Italian immigrant ancestors brought with them when they came to this country.
IT seeks to record and preserve for posterity the positive contributions to our communities by these original Italian immigrants, and those of their descendants.
WE hope to help trace the lineage of our collective families through anecdotal and historical writings, which will help family members share information, emotions, and the diversity of the human experience in our remembered past and to comment on and share stories of life as it now unfolds before us and our children.
WE wish to create a positive climate to encourage and nurture subsequent generations to celebrate and preserve the inheritance of their familiar origins.
Lastly, we strive to be a catalyst to fan the flames of desire for us all to communicate more often and sincerely, and to gather together at least once every year to celebrate life and its wondrous changes together as a living community.
This page is maintained by D.ACQUAVIVA. E-mail comments to [email protected] Last modified on TUESDAY,November4th, 9:26:52 |
August 12, 1996
Dear Dean and Clora, As usual your generous hospitality was wonderful. I know that everyone had a good time. It is nice to see young and old mixed together. We all gain something from that. Your garden is a terrific place for that kind of gathering. I particulary like the little yard you have to walk through an ivy path to get to. It looks like a good hiding place to me. My parents had a cabin in the north woods of Michigan and my dad made trails throgh the woods similar to that. My brother and I did enjoy those woods. He still owns part of them, but a fire destroyed all the buildings a number of years ago. We all, one summer, lived in a one room cabin that my dad built. It had a huge stone fireplace. The stones came from the land which belonged to great grandfather. We had trails in that woods too. We took baths in a creek nearby. a tornado came through a few years ago and destroyed the cabin and my great grandfather's house and barn and nearly everything else in the area. What is left is the stone chimney. Well, sorry, I only meant to say thank you, not to go on and on.
I now have the mail forwarded to me since I no longer live in Trenton. I am now living in Pensacola Fla. with my grandchildren. I have been living here for one year in October.
In Trenton there was nobody left in my immediate family and the grandchildren invited me to move south.
It is real nice to have all my mail sent here from Trenton, otherwise I wouldn't be getting the LaVigna , so that is why I am sending this to you.
I am glad to hear that you all can get together like old times at the picnic. The reason I am writing to Lorraine is because her name is on the issue of LaVigna , but say hello to all my relatives.
I am going to be ninety-two years old on the 19th of October, thank the good lord for my good health. I am glad that they sent me this LaVigna or else I could never stay in touch with you. It sure feels great to have gotten the LaVigna or I just don't know when we would get together. I know you also will be surprised to hear from me too. At least I will have felt like I have seen someone in the family.
I see where one lady just passed away, she seemed like a nice lady--Carmellina, I am sorry for her family. I just lost my only son Nick, now it seems as if I don't have anyone. My mother died when I was 8 years old and she left 7 children which I raised, they are all gone but me. I can't see why they took everyone else and did not take me.
I sure would like to hear from anyone back in Trenton, my address is at the end of this letter. For now I think I have covered about all. I hope to hear from you all soon, I know it will be a shock. So long as my health is good I'll hang in there. Stay well and give our relaties my best wishes.
Just think when you read this I'll be 92 years old. Will close with lots of love to all.
Jennie Bilancio
There was one gala picnic which made my mind camera get stuck on why I enjoy being your cousin. If you remember that picnic took months to plan. We all formed committees with chairpersons and assigned duties. I believe you were chairman of the entire fete. The result of our effort was that all who attended got to sit down to full breakfast, lunch and supper. We ate, drank and snacked until late at night.
All day activities kept those of all ages (2-85) busy. Decorations and lights were great. Drinks galore for all-all of this ended with everyone singing around the fire with our sweatshirts and sweaters on. A good time was had by all.
However Lew, guess what the highlight was for me at that wonderfully planned picnic. It was the weekly meeting we would attend where you, Bob Immordino, and I would constantly lock horns over the disbursement of the money to the various committees. I had such fun arguing with you! I believe you did too.
Since this is a "stream of conscious" correspondence, I've allowed my mind some freedom to stay with those memories that involve you and the few times we had disputes. I enjoyed each of them. Do you remember our little disagreement at the "La Vigna" meeting? When I recall that incident, I find myself thinking, " What a guy".
Today I have been analyzing why I like to argue with you, and see that during a spat:
At the end of each squabble I felt like my viewpoint did have validity and was seriously considered. I was able to walk away with no resentments and with the feeling that something positive was accomplished.
All of the above points are usually very difficult to find in any sparring partner and I appreciate having had this unique experience with my cousin.
Of course there are also other qualities of yours I enjoy. such as the everyday teaching you do freely in your conversation and the private tours of Rome we took when you taught me so much about the Eternal City. (and walked my legs off). In a way, this is a thank you letter for some of the experiences that are so easy to take for granted. So, Thanks again from your cousin.
2. You remain objective, and dispassionate.
3. You get to the root of the conflict.
4. You stay honest throughout.
5. You are open and informative in the position you take so that:
6. You do not feel resentful.
For some years now, Thirteen to be exact, our litle family paper has been coming to your doorstesps courtesy of a small core group of dedicated family members with a zealous belief in family communication.
Dean Acquaviva has been acting as editor and archivist, collating and publishing the quarterly family newspaper, all from within the confines of the LaVigna "Offices" at his Lawrenceville, NJ home.It is funded entirely by donation there are no subscription costs, and we accept no advertisements. For thirteen years now we have weathered financial adversity, and always put out our issues.
We reached across the country and around the globe with the help of the postal systems, our circulation growing to some one hundred fifty households.
Now with the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, the family newsletter is going public in a big way. What will come of it? Will anyone stumble across this URL and take interest? Maybe even get involved, only time will tell. But as long as there is family to connect, LaVigna will be there helping the vines of communication grow stronger.
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