I apologize.

The blog went silent for a simple reason. I had to relocate to Sedona, AZ to take care of my mother, who was terminally ill with cancer. As you can infer from the verb tense, she did not make it. She passed away June 1.

Irma Cavaliere Speirs was a first-generation American, the youngest daughter of Angela and Joseph Cavaliere (or “Cavalieri” – we found documents in her safe afterward that indicate that is the correct spelling of the last name when her parents landed at Ellis Island). She was a twin – her surviving twin brother Russell is still in Queens, NY.

Devoutly Roman Catholic, Mom nonetheless navigated revolution after revolution – she went back to work, she became a single mom and supported three kids, she eventually became a business owner and survived the potential disaster of her ex-husband committing a felony that reflected on the firm. She was fiercely protective of her children in all circumstances.

On my desk sits a blown glass heart, blue and green, with a tiny silver halo in the center – her ashes, forever with me. My beliefs are that uniqueness that was Mom has continued on her journey, and sadly for me, will no longer look back to talk with me. I miss the Sunday afternoon phone calls. But if I can take a few of her lessons with me forward, I’ll probably be okay.

One day at a time.