Dearest Lord:

 

Each life is brought about by another,

Each coincidence your plan

Each person for another has been in your hand.

 

Their parents met in Fenway Park –

A game long since forgotten,

Yet friendship last and grown a family begotten.

Deb the nurse, Fancy the doctor

Their love would grow with passion

And not long after two daughters born Italian in their fashion.

 

They traveled with the Navy wide

The world to see, unparalleled in their stride.

No challenge was too great for them

No place too far to go.

“On the Road Again” became their song, a melody to sing,

a away of life to live.

 

From Christening in Winchester to lobster in Ogunguit, the little family made their way from one day to the next.

From visits to the Bayou state to see how Italians live, their daughters gained a southern draul and hospitality.

 

From kittens to puppies, from Snow and Lil, their house was full of fun, their lovely daughters learned to laugh and play and so to run.

 

And Momma Deb, a Doctorate would earn, her little girls would follow their mother’s train unfurled

Across Tulane’s fine campus.

 

The Keys would offer open skies, scuba diving and boat rides.

Tiffany would graduate and Tracy play in the band

The sea so near and in between their little toes, the sand.

 

In Gulf Breeze Tracy would make her name and graduate with fame.

 

And on a still June night, the little family would surprise their brother, father, uncle Johnny and celebrate his twenty fifth to give his heart a life

And still at Christmas time would come to Pahokee and distribute gifts.

 

And when a family reunion we did have in Rome the eternal city,

A Mass in the sacred catacombs

We would have Deb, Fanancy, Tiffany and Tracy. Tiffany would read, Tracy serve

With Mom and Dad and Nana to observe,

How beautiful the Catholic Faith especially in the Vatican State.

 

And twenty five years to the day, Tiffany would graduate Boston College, like her Mom, we cheered her on

Until the clock read very late.

 

And when at last sadness came to visit us

And loneliness robbed our trust

We turned to you our Lord and God

With broken hearts entreated you

To hear the prayers of our extended Family.

 

A website full of favorite people

More sublime and awesome than a Church’s steeple.

 

Each of you with your own personal power,

Wrote and prayed with us for hours.

 

And now we’ve come to this great day.

A day on which we need to pray.

 

To celebrate Fanancy’s retirement.

 

And so dear Lord to you we turn

And ask of you what we discern

To be our happiness.

 

To know you more, to love you more

And because of you

To keep us close to you and to each other. Amen.