More Introspection

Remember when Fiorella told you that everyone laughed when she said her newborn baby brother was wide asleep? That was when Fio first realized she could bring down the house--and that she liked it. But your faithful correspondent was only a-doin' what came naturally. her maternal grandfather may have been an alcoholic, but "Clown" also had a good sense of humor, which Mom inherited, thank goodness, or Fio would have never trod the earth--Dad had his choice of blind dates and opted for the girl who would be "a lot of fun."

Laughter has gotten Fio through a lot of tough spots and hard times, but she has to be careful because some people don't catch on to her jokes. And, above all, Fio wants to be kind.

Second Mother

Children often have multiple mother figures in their lives--aunts, grandmothers, and the like--who have a lasting influence on them.  Due to death or distance, Fiorella had none of these, but she did have Eve Paule, her best friend's mother.

When she could, Mrs. Paule gave Fio rides to school, swim lessons, sewing lessons, art lessons, and Baylor Children's Theater.  Fio also accompanied the family to college-sponsored musical performances, and she was allowed to study their Time-Life art books, which nurtured her own art. But most of all, Eve Paule was kind to Fiorella, and when she died, Fiorella attended the interment and was invited to pour a handful of dirt into the grave.

Blessed be the memory of Eve Levine Paule, Fio's second mother.

Weighing It All

Nothing beats laughter and random kindness to pull Fio out of a depression.  She had a great time at Mazda yesterday while she was picking up her baby car--Jason and Richard are lots of fun--and then, when she stopped by H-E-B to pick up a few things for supper, an employee who was outside gathering baskets noticed she was looking for a small one and ran across the roadway to fetch one for her.  And inside the store, she was able to snag a bigger package of hamburger (for Husband, Son, and Fio) than the butcher usually cuts, and a checker invited her to a new line she was opening up.

Fate balances out.