The Love of an Italian Grandmother

I've always enjoyed knowing that Pier Giorgio and I both had a grandmother named Josephine.  Mine was extra special because she was really the only grandparent I knew. (The other three died when I was young.) She lived close by and was a constant presence in our lives, not to mention the source of delizioso homemade ravioli and bread and other great dishes.

My Italian grandmother was my motivation for studying Italian in college - although I soon learned that she spoke a dialect you couldn't learn in books.  My brothers and sisters and I still do a fun impersonation of her distinct voice.

My last visit to her before she died was to bring her a piece of my birthday cake.  She was so animated and lively and told me wonderful stories that night.  I didn't understand a lot of what she said but I loved being with her.  There is nothing like an Italian grandmother!

Pier Giorgio was blessed to have the love of two Italian grandmothers throughout his life.  His grandmother Josephine Frassati (Giuseppina, in Italian) played a key role in the family's financial situation.  She generously gave her life savings to her son Alfredo so that he could take control of the local newspaper which he later renamed "La Stampa." Alfredo's journalistic success with the paper set him on course for his political career which, in turn, had a big impact on Pier Giorgio's life experiences.

When Pier Giorgio's sister Luciana got married, it was their grandmother Josephine who gifted her with 3,000 lire.  Luciana shared 1,000 lire of it with Pier Giorgio and said to him, “This is for you, not for your poor.”  Despite it being the largest sum of money he ever possessed in his life, he divided it into two donations which he made in Luciana's name so that she would receive the credit.  Josephine Frassati outlived her grandson Pier Giorgio by eight years.

His grandmother Linda was tied more closely to his life in a spiritual sense.  The home in Pollone was built by her husband, Pier Giorgio's grandfather Francesco Ametis.  It was the location of many happy occasions for Pier Giorgio, picking flowers, helping in the garden, climbing the nearby mountains, and so much more.  Linda taught Pier Giorgio the importance of praying for the holy souls in Purgatory, a lesson he put into practice often. 

I've always loved the photo (shown above) of the two of them together when Pier Giorgio was four years old.  It exudes the love between them.  As it would turn out, they would be closely united in death, as well as life.  

On May 25th, a few weeks before her death, Pier Giorgio wrote to his best friend Marco, "I ask you to pray for my Grandmother, who unfortunately is not at all well, luckily it’s nothing serious right now but at 86 years of age her condition can change from one moment to the next."  A second time, on June 5th, he wrote to Marco, "Please pray for my grandmother who is still not well."
 
Naturally, all of the focus in the home was on his grandmother during this period. So when Pier Giorgio's own physical condition began to deteriorate, his suffering went largely unnoticed.  Linda died on July 1st; her funeral was on July 3rd. Pier Giorgio died the next day. (All of this is recounted in Luciana Frassati's moving book "My Brother Pier Giorgio: His Last Days .")

As we approach the 95th anniversary of his death, which now we can celebrate joyfully as his feast day, I find myself reflecting more and more on the impact his family members had on his character, his happiness, his sorrows, his life and his death. 

Sometimes we focus too much on the severity of his parents when he was young, the discord in the home because of their marital difficulties or their failure to understand his spirituality.  It's good to remember that there was a lot of love in his life.  His parents and sister loved him dearly, as did his aunts and uncles, grandfathers, cousins and many friends.

And he had the love and admiration of not one Italian grandmother but two.  I'm only a little jealous.

Verso l'alto!  ///cmw

P.S. As a feast day gift to Pier Giorgio, let us remember all of his deceased relatives by praying the De Profundis (Psalm 130) as he often did:
  Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication:

If You, O Lord, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with You is forgiveness,
that You may be revered.

I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in His word.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the Lord.
For with the Lord is kindness,
and with Him is plenteous redemption;
And He will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities."