The first image is a picture of my father, Carmelo in his little hat. The little girl is his sister, Carmela but we called her Miluzza. On the lower left section of the picture is a foot and part of a leg.

It is my favorite picture of my father.

My grandmother sent the picture to my uncle Angelo in the US. And in turn it came to us after my uncle passed. At first I loved it because he was a very cute little boy, and it was hard to imagine my father as a small child. At some point we turned the picture over and noticed that my grandmother had written on the back.

Here is what it says-

Carissimo figlio oggi stesso appassatu quello che fa fotografie allampo mentri mangiamo
 
nella nostra strata si lanno fatto tutti
 
lupapa ebi lagurio di falli a carmilino e miluzza
 
lupapa si a messo di latu che carmilino sense lupapa non ci voleva stari

 Loosely translated, she wrote:

Dearest son

Just today while we were eating a photographer came by.

Everyone on our street had their picture taken.

Your father, had the pleasure of having a picture taken of Carmelino and Miluzza.

Your father had to stand to the side because without your father, Carmilino did not want to stay there.

The foot and leg in the picture belong to my father’s father….

The real reason we love this picture is because it is about our father, who was a loving and wonderful man, and about his father, who taught him well.

We are blessed to have been raised by a long line of great fathers.

Happy Father’s Day!