My mom called me last night to say that she, my Dad, and my grandparents were heading down to Naples because they got a call saying my uncle was not doing well. I posted about this awhile ago. I guess he took a turn for a worse, and Hospice came in, which basically means that it’s the end of the road. I’ve had a previous experience with Hospice care when my mom’s aunt died 8 years ago and it wasn’t good. They just basically try to make the person as comfortable as possible before they go. My heart goes out to anyone that works in Hospice care. My ex boyfriend’s mother did this and I often wondered how she could deal with so much grief. These workers don’t nearly get enough credit for what they do. They are much stronger than I will ever be.
Ok, enough with that tangent. I got a call in the morning while I was at work from my mom and I knew what she was going say-”Your uncle died this morning”. She said they made it just in time. They got there, talked and a few hours later he passed. I’m not really a superstitious or religious person, but I always found it crazy how people seem to wait until they’ve seen all the people they want to say goodbye to before they die. It was the same way with my mom’s aunt. I think some people are just so strong willed that they’ll fight it as long as they have to.
My uncle and I were far from close. He was a tough man to get along with and I chose not to bother a long time ago. But instead of thinking about the bad, I’ve decided to think about the good times that we spent together. Making homemade pasta tops the list. My uncle was an INSANE cook. Like best food you’ll ever eat good. And since we’re all Italian he made tons of food all the time. One of the things he loved to make was pasta. He had this old creaky pasta maker and I remember rolling out dough with my sister and my cousins and pushing it through this squeaky old metal cutter. I’ll never forget the noise the annoying noise it made, or the way it tasted when the family all devoured it. If anything, that house brought us all together, even though it wasn’t always under Brady Bunch like circumstances.
I totally made pasta for Dave and I tonight for dinner. And although it wasn’t made from fresh dough and rolled out with a squeaky pasta maker, it reminded me of the times when I was kid making pasta with him.