Sorella Salute!

No Friend Like a Sister

For there is no friend like a sister,
In calm or stormy weather,
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.
...Christina Rossetti

It's been a rough couple of years for me. I want to give a special thanks to all of my sisters for believing in me when I didn't even believe in myself. I'm blessed to have them as sisters, and I'm grateful to have them as friends. I love them all very much.

	LuNeal's Birthday? Circa. 1945; Havre de Grace. Left to Right -- Paula, Kathy, Brenda, LuNeal Gatto, and JoAnn.
	Me and Shela, 1952. Shela and I are 4 1/2 years apart in age. She was not happy to have a little sister back then. I guess 'cause I usurped her position as the "baby" of the family. The story goes that when my mom brought me home from the hospital, Shela was mad. She took one look at me and said "I was doin' just fine till you came along." We laugh about it now.
In this photograph are my sisters, Brenda, JoAnn, Paula & Shela; Frannie DiMauro and Patsy Leodore. Patsy has remained best friends with my sister, Brenda, through all these years. When I look at this photo, I know it must be a Saturday because Brenda, JoAnn and Shela all have their hair washed and set in rags which my mother always did on Saturdays so that our hair would look nice for church on Sunday morning. Paula lived with my grandmother whose house and property adjoined ours, and her routine was a little different than ours. Even though our backyards connected, and I saw her everyday, I still wish Paula would have lived in our house with all of us. How she came to live in my grandmother's house is a story unto itself. Maybe she will write about it here someday.