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REAL McRollers and Readers - Hugs from NJ where it's already way too cold. Thank you for the wonderful response to the Thanksgiving Marathon!

Questioning Nonna

Grace settled next to her great grandmother on the loveseat after adjusting the focus on her iPad. "Ready, Nonna?"

"Ready when you are, my bella bambino. You and Kaitlyn making these videos is a wonderful idea. Preserving family stories and history for the future where your children and grandchildren will be able to hear them firsthand."

"Gabby said the same thing, almost word for word." She smiled.

"Great minds think alike," Nonna teased. "Go ahead, darling, ask away."

"I realize I know the answers to a lot of these but since they're for the video, I'm asking them anyway, okay?" Grace wrapped an arm around Nonna and kissed her great grandmother's cheek. "I'm so happy you're here to do this in person."

"I'm happy, too, bambina. Seeing that beautiful smile on your face…" Nonna cupped her cheek. "And getting to hug you always warms my heart."

"Awww, love you so much."

"And I love you. So what are these questions we have?"

Grace faced the camera and began, "Nonna, what job did you have when you worked?"

"Oh, I had a wonderful job. I worked for the engineers at Passaic Valley Sewage. I was what you'd call an admin, but we called it an executive secretary back then." She smiled. "I worked with some lovely people and that's where I met my very best friend, who I'm lucky to still have in my life. With your great grandpa working a second job and my salary, we were able to buy our house."

"I love your house, it's the best," Grace said. "Our next question is, what did you learn from your parents?"

Nonna smiled softly at the memory of her mother and father. "So much. So very much. First I'd say love and perseverance. They lived through some hard times but they stood by each other and got through them all. And that they loved us unconditionally." She patted Grace's hand. "And to support my children. When we broke with tradition, they were concerned but always supportive. When my brother moved down the shore to start his construction business, they supported him. When my sister Teresa and I continued to work after we got married, they supported us, even though they didn't necessarily understand why. So I'd definitely say love and perseverance among so many other things."

"That's … beautiful," Grace beamed. "I know Danno worries all the time, but he lets me choose my path and he absolutely persevered through so much to follow me here. People were really unfair to him at HPD but he stuck it out. Then he met Uncle Steve and everything changed for us both when he joined the task force." She squeezed Nonna's hand. "That perseverance and love definitely runs in the family."

"It does indeed."

"Now, what's your favorite thing to do for fun?"

"Spend time with my beautiful family. Volunteer at church, and cook. And I love to learn new things. My friend Anna is teaching me to paint little watercolors."

"Really?"

"Really. It's fun and you're never too old to learn."

"You're an inspiration."

"And you, mio bambina, are the sweetest girl. Since you were a tiny baby. You have my Daniel's heart."

"You're gonna make me cry, Nonna," Grace kissed her cheek. "I can't think of a better compliment."

"It's absolutely true."

Grace took a breath. "So … what's the best about being a grandma and great grandma?"

"Watching my family grow and experience things through their eyes as they become adults with lives and responsibilities and sometimes children of their own, even as they keep some of our family traditions alive."

"What's one thing you would want your kids to know?"

"That I love them no matter what and I'm always here for them. Not just my children but my grand and great grandchildren, too."

"If you could change one thing about your life, past or present, what would it be?"

"The past, good and bad, happy times and sad, make us who we are. So I wouldn't change anything."

"If you could choose one thing from your childhood to relive, what would it be and why?"

Nonna smiled. "A day at home with my parents and grandparents and all my siblings. Just having a family dinner with everyone."

"That's so sweet." Grace blinked back another tear at Nonna's happy memories. "And what did you like to do as a child?"

"Oh, I loved to play outside with my sisters and brothers. We had so much fun. We would also pile into my uncle's car and go down the shore for the day. That was before the parkway. We'd take routes one and nine and leave at four a.m. for Atlantic City. Then come home that night sunburned in a car long before air conditioning and we didn't mind a bit." She thought for a moment. "I loved cooking even as a little girl. I'd help my mother and older sisters in the kitchen as soon as I was able."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It was, bambina, it was a wonderful time to grow up."

"Oh here's an interesting one. What characteristics do you most deplore in other people?"

Nonna answered without hesitation, "Deliberate meanness. Untrustworthiness and lying."

Grace agreed, "Me, too. The next question is, are you at peace with everyone?"

"I am. You're mature enough to hear this, my sweet girl, so I'll say it took me a while to find peace with what your uncle did. How he's a criminal and how it devestated my poor Clara and Eddie. How his sisters cried and how very much it hurt your father. I love Matty. I always will, but I will never understand the choices he made."

"I'm sorry, Nonna. Did that one upset you?" Grace took her hand, genuinely concerned that it had brought a family sadness to the surface.

"No, no, Grace, my darling. Sad memories are part of life. I'm at peace as I said. It took time but our family is as strong as ever because we were all there for each other." She kissed Grace's temple. "Perseverance and love. Like I said."

"You are incredible. That's why everyone loves you." Grace smiled. "Here's a good one. What makes you happy?"

"You, my bambina. And all my family and friends. I'm happy we have a huge extended famiglia all across the country. I'm happy you and your father are happy here and are surrounded by family. I'm happy when my children and their families are safe and are good people."

"Last one, Nonna. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?" Grace grinned at the question.

"Oh my. They'd need two actors for that," Nonna chuckled. "A younger me and an older me. I like that Meryl Streep. She's very good. And maybe for the young me …" she tapped her chin.

"Definitely someone awesome because my Nonna is beautiful inside and out," Grace smiled as Danny entered the room.

"Someone who can be funny … maybe Julia Roberts or that pretty one from the TV. I can't remember her name."

"Uh oh, am I interrupting the interview?" He leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss his grandmother and daughter's cheeks.

"All done." Grace waved at the camera. "Nonna wins best interviewee and she'll be tied with Grandma Ang … because they're Nonna and Grandma Ang," she giggled.

"I agree without even hearing the interviews," Danny laughed as Grace clicked off the camera. "Speaking of Grandma Ang, we'd better get going because isn't she next?"

#End. Thanks for reading!

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