The Happiest Mom on the Street

I read with great sadness yesterday that a former neighbour of mine in Ancaster Ontario, Angela D'Onofrio, has died after a three year battle with cancer.

I remember Angela as the happiest Mom on the street with the happiest kids in the neighbourhood. Her husband Vince is a big teddy bear of man, who willed his dream of becoming a fire fighter to life after some initial discouragements.

Vince and Angie were a couple of faith, strength, hope, joy and celebration. They never celebrated more than at Christmas time. Planning would begin soon after the kids Hallowe'en display was taken down. Vinnie would add lights in a cacophony of lustrous splendour day upon day, revealing more each night. As voltage plunged to a precipitously low point on the street (we shared the same transformer) Vinnie would stop and the glow in the sky became a beacon for scores of restless families driving around looking for seasonal light displays and -- more likely -- symbolic inspiration.

We moved out of the neighbourhood about 8 years ago to another place about 2 miles away but we always went back to see Vinnie and Angie's light show. Living now half a country away we will not see the lights this year and we will miss them. We will miss Angie too.

So Vinnie and the kids -- who were much smaller when we knew them -- to you we send our sympathies and our hopes. To everyone, we urge that you send some money to your local, regional or national Cancer Society in Angela's name. It will be your best gift of the year. Merry Christmas.

Vinnie; leave the lights on.

[Content in this post originates from www.bradfordgibson.net.]