Category: family

Happy Birthdays!!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I’m a neglectful mother. I thought about it, but I just didn’t do it. I didn’t write special birthday posts for my darling children who celebrated their special days on the 22nd and 27th. But fortunately, their creativity and love for each other provided just the material for you to catch a glimpse into our crazy family. On an ordinary day, I am the proudest mama going, but after seeing their greetings to each other, I’m not quite sure about that anymore! 


Here is the poem that Lauren wrote for her beloved brother:



yo bro

its your birfday and im here to give you a rhyme
i know it wont be long so im sure you got the time
living with you all my life has been kinda crazy
you sweat, eat a lot and sometimes you get lazy

but youre way too cool and smart and really funny
so ill never kick you out even though you like chubby bunnies
the way you sing, smile and fart 
is only just the start
youre more than a brother
youre my best friend
i just freakin love you
THE END



And his greeting to her is the following YouTube video. 
Out of necessity, I’m posting the words first! 

you wrote me a rhyme that was truly sublime
but it will not stand the test of time
because im back with a whole new swagger
my lyrics and moves are makin e’erbody stagger
i got the flow of the century and im here to let you know
it got the biggest baddest happy birthday rap fo sho

you see im singin to the the most beautiful head of curls
whose life of BEIN LOVE inspires so many girls
paper pages in her pocket are the deepest root
because the bible is the key to life’s eternal fruit
if you ask her bout the truth she is compelled to say
that jesus christ is all the love and life and the way
god has blessed her with lifesong always on her lips
lives a life of dance god’s glory moves her hips
the proclamation of salvation grips her tongue
showin love to e’erbody big and small old and young

twenty two years of her life is written on this day
to my sister
how i’ve missed her
HAPPY BIRTH-A-DAY!!

So do you wanna laugh or cry? I’m doing both! 

The Italian Stallion

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I wrote this post 2 weeks ago on our return from Florida, but waited for family clearance before publishing it. How funny that my last 2 posts were about that waiting period that God allows us to experience sometimes, and this post chronicles our unexpected and unwelcome delay to begin our trip.

 It all began with a rocky start. Apparently, due to the severe weather on Saturday, JetBlue cancelled our Sunday flight. Just cancelled it. As in, too bad, nothing you can do about it, just cancelled, want your money back? Uh, nooooo, what I want is to fly to Florida! I could share my rant about the 2 hours on hold, the misinformation I repeatedly received, or the rude desk attendant who informed me that the other airlines – who did not cancel flights – fly in different air currents to Florida (air currents? really??), but I’ll spare you. (And in the interest of full disclosure, the flight home was excellent and staffed with wonderful attendants.)


Instead, I would like to share a surprising happy experience.


Because we were delayed 24 hours, holed up in a Queens NY hotel, we decided to visit my husband’s uncle who rarely gets visitors now that he’s in a nursing home following knee surgery. Uncle Joey, my mother-in-law’s favorite brother, is a colorful character, and our hour-long conversation with him was like “The Godfather” meets “Abbott and Costello.”


The Panzica’s (P): Hi, Uncle Joey. So good to see you.


Uncle Joey (J): Yo. How ya doin’?


P: Good, you?


J: Menza, menz. Ey – whatcha gonna do?


J: (to AJ) Yo, you got tall. [at 5’8” AJ is never called tall, so he appreciated that!]


P: What’s new with you?


J: Nuthin’. Hey, he got tall, and I got bald.


P: So, how’s the food here?


J: Stinks! Macalacala! But whatcha gonna do?


The invisible guy in the next bed behind the curtain utters “fkejesjseucksyrdufbe” punctuated by hacking coughs.


J: So how’d ya find this place?


P: We followed the GPS.


J: What? (to AJ) Kid, you work for UPS?


AJP: No, we followed the GPS to get here. You know, satellites and maps giving directions….

 J: So, you like working for UPS? Ay – he got tall. So is she.
(She being Lauren who is 5’2″!)


We call my mother-in-law so Uncle Joey can talk to her.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t have her hearing aids in.


P: Hey, ma! We’re here with Uncle Joey. I’ll put him on.


J: Yo, Nina! Gravatsa! …. Wha’? – ya don’t understand me? …. Mercy mercy, mercy.


– “fkejesjseucksyrdufbe”


J: You gotta make the woochies!
(woochies are Italian fig cookies that take 2 days to make)


P: Uncle Joey, we’re gonna make woochies soon. We’ll bring you some.


J: Yeah, I want woochies. Ay – he got tall.


– “fkejesjseucksyrdufbe”


P: So, is there a good pizza place around here?


J: I dunno. Angelo opened up a place in Queens. On the highway. Ant’ny, you know Angelo?


P: I think so. What’s the name of the pizza place?


J: I dunno. It don’t have a name. He just opened up a pizza place – down the road – on the highway.


P: Did you ever sell pizza?


J: Oh yeah. Made pizza in my house. But Angelo, he opened up a pizza place – down the road – on the highway.


P: What else did you do?


J: I did everything, you name it. I delivered trees on 72nd to famous people. I sold firecrackers, you know, the good ones (the illegal ones). I worked for Bond Bread. For 40 years, I worked for them.


P: Did they give you a gold watch when you retired?


J: Ya know, they gave me a watch when I retired. Never worked.


P: Well, we gotta go, Uncle Joey.


J: Thanks for comin’. Ay – he got tall.


-“fkejesjseucksyrdufbe




We had been so disappointed about our delay, but because of it, we were able to visit with Uncle Joey which we had long wanted to do, but never found time for. An unexpected blessing that we would have missed if we spent our time griping and focused on our frustrating plight.


And we eventually did get to Florida, had a wonderful time with family and vacationing at the beach, even though it was 72 degrees both in Miami and in NJ!




Susan

Spring Break

Posted on by Susan Panzica

The hubby, kids and I will be traveling to Florida next week for Spring Break.

Think – a geriatric version of Where The Boys Are.

I have previously shared with you my trite observations of this lovely southern state when I visited my folks last September – Why I Don’t Live In Florida. But with our summer days largely spoken for with mission trips, cross-country camp and dance training, we decided to head south for Spring Break. Frankly, I’m rather honored that my college kids have agreed to spend their spring break with their parents. We’re just so cool… 

We’re flying out of LaGuardia, and I have been praying nonstop that there would be no geese around when we take off. I honestly have imagined our vacation spent on the wing of a plane floating in the Hudson River. I pray that our pilot is as skillful as Capt. Sully Sullenberger.

Once in sunny (and by sunny, I mean excruciatingly hot and humid) Florida, we’ll be spending a few days with my folks and a few days at the beach. Please keep my dad and stepmom in prayer as he has been in and out of the hospital with prostate cancer procedures that have weakened him and stressed her.

And feel free to keep my hair in prayer. As some of you know, I have naturally curly (and by curly, I mean huge, intermittently frizzy) hair that expands with the humidity. I am powerless to fight it. And of  course, I hate the way I look when it’s curly. Ladies, why is that???? We straighten our curls, and curl our straights.

But the humidity foils all our efforts. Ahhh – the great mystery – the very same humidity that swells my hair makes another’s straight hair flat. Just like the very same boiling water will make an egg hard, but a carrot soft. So we must conclude – it’s not the humidity nor the boiling water that is the problem, it is how we react to it! Likewise, a difficult circumstance will reduce one to tears, yet cause another to fortify her reserves. And so we must conclude – it’s not the circumstance that is the problem, it is how we react to it. We can’t always control the circumstance, but we can control how we react to things. To carry this a little further – When in hot water, we should be more like a coffee bean than the egg or the carrot because the egg and carrot react to the hot water, but the coffee actually changes the hot water. In it’s brokenness, it infuses the water with its fragrance and substance and positively affects the situation. It creates an improved environment. I’ll need to remember that this week 🙂

And so, my friends, as we speed along towards spring, may you have a blessed week, and I’ll catch up with you on the other side!

Susan
ps – Speaking of mysteries and seasons, here’s a favorite – Daniel 2:19-23
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Happy Birthday, Tony!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today’s my hubby’s birthday, and I’m glad to take this opportunity to let you know a little about him and to wish him the best day ever. Tony’s a great dad, husband, son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend – devoted to his family, his patients and his ministry, and of course, the Lord.

He is extremely gifted at many things, and so keeps very busy. He’s a great musician and chiropractor, and so handy, my mom bought him a t-shirt that reads “Mr. Fixit”. Since he really can fix just about anything, we rarely hire someone to do the job. Of course, he’s so busy that he can’t always get to it, so we blissfully live in a constant state of disrepair. 

He lends his wisdom to the leadership of the church and the state chiropractic organizations, who have honored him with several awards, although most of his work is done quietly without any reward or recognition except for the select few who work alongside him.

He’s very supportive of this new path that God has led me down in the past year, one more thing for which I am so thankful.

So, hon, happy birthday, and may this year be filled with music, fishing, pancakes and tons of fun!

All my love,
Susan

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

Posted on by Susan Panzica
For some, decorating the Christmas tree is hard labor. For me, it is a labor of love. A task that I usually do alone. My kids have helped occasionally, but they just aren’t that interested in adorning the tree. For me, it is a stroll down memory lane.

My tree and I have a beautiful relationship. As a Jewish believer, the tree is a blessed part of my new Christian heritage. Since I never had a tree, and therefore, no decorations, I held a trim-a-tree party 29 years ago, my 2nd Christmas as a Christian. I still hang all the ornaments from that first year remembering each of my sweet friends who have meant and still mean so much to me. 


Over the years, with every vacation, I bought an ornament that reminds me of those travels. I have received exquisite ornaments as gifts from family, friends, Sunday school students. Each one holds special memories.

Every year, I buy an ornament for each of my children that reflects what is important to them at that time of their lives. The children have made some adorable ornaments and have received some from other family members. They all have a special place on the tree, and when my kids have their own home, they will have a beautiful headstart on their first tree.


Some look at the Christmas tree as a heathen invasion into what should be a holy experience. I can understand that. It is all too easy to incorporate worldly customs in Christian traditions. And the Christmas tree does have its origin in pagan roots. The very idea of cutting down a healthy tree, bringing it inside and adorning it really is rather bizarre when you think about it. But I didn’t invent the idea. I am redeeming it.

My tree bears ornaments that are reminders of Jesus and the gifts that He’s given us. I have angels, shepherds, wise men and a crown of thorns. I have keepsakes of times gone by, tokens of love, remembrances of family and friends. I have started labeling the ornaments so that the memories don’t fade with time.


Others have their scrapbooks, I have my Christmas tree.

All too soon, Christmas will be over, and the ornaments will be packed away for another year. So let’s cherish the time spent with these memories accumulated over the years.

Do you have a particular keepsake or tradition that makes the Christmas experience special for you and your family?

Lord, I thank You for my family and the friends who have made my life so rich.

Susan

I’m Proud of You, Lauren

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Dear Friends,
Permit this proud mama a small indulgence. This is not a 40 Day Focus post, just a boast post, thrown in – no extra charge! I’m so proud of my little girl, I want to share it with you.
Lauren was always the timid, shy little girl. But that little girl would light up the stage in her dance recitals. Until she stopped. For a few years, she didn’t dance because she didn’t have a friend to go with and being timid overpowered her love of dancing. Eventually, she started dancing again, and now she is a dance major in college and teaches at a local dance school.
But her college experience has not been without pain. She experienced rejections, and her body sometimes betrays her, not allowing certain required movements. It’s been a very hard road for her, but she has been tenacious, spending long hours in the studio, and learning to speak up for herself.  
Last night was opening night of the fall performance series. The picture above is Lauren in the show-stopper finale. To me, it reflects how far she’s come and her strength of spirit.
Lolo, you go, girl!!

Therefore, my dear Lauren, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Love,
Mom