My Friend is Sailing

“Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer

For a friend

Gone From My Sight by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.

A ship, at my side, spreads white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

He is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch him until, at length, he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, he is gone"

Gone where? Gone from my sight. That is all.

He is just as large in mast, hull and spar as he was when he left my side.

And, he is just as able to bear his load of living freight to his destined port.

His diminished size is in me -- not in him.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, he is gone," there are other eyes watching him coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here he comes!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIOVANNI, Mario Anthony, Jr.

Mario Anthony Giovanni, Jr., age 65, died peacefully at his home in Buford, GA on Wednesday, December 31, 2014. Born March 26, 1949, in Phillipsburg, NJ, he attended Pius X Catholic High School in Roseto, PA before moving to the Milwaukee, WI area with his parents and siblings.


It was in Milwaukee where he married on September 28, 1974, Suzanne Steber, raising two children, Anne Grazier of Lindenhurst, IL and Nick Giovanni of Buford, GA. In 1996, he moved his family to the Buford, GA area working for the past seven years at Engineered Architectural Systems, Inc. of Alpharetta, GA. Previously he worked several years for Albany International.

Mario was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve for two years, was active in coaching his son’s hockey team in the Lawrenceville, GA area and enjoyed both golf and college basketball. He had a passion for music which included his time with the Drum and Bugle Corp in high school and playing drum most recently with a local band. He had a serving heart, positive nature and adored spending time with his granddaughter, Audrey.

Mario was preceded in death by his parents, Mario, Sr. and Mary (Pacovich) Giovanni; sister, Carla (Franzrab) Giovanni; and nephew, Jeb Jensen. Survivors include wife, Suzanne (Steber); daughter, Anne Grazier and granddaughter, Audrey; son, Nick Giovanni; sister, Lucia (Giovanni) and Roger McGrath of Eagle, WI; sister-in-law, Char (Steber) and Jeff Jensen of Reedsburg, WI.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Mario Anthony Giovanni, Jr. will be held 6:30 P.M. on Friday, January 9, 2015 at Georgia Cremation Chapel 3116 U.S. Highway 23 (Buford HWY), Duluth, GA 30096. Relatives, friends and coworkers are welcome to attend and celebrate a life well lived.

Georgia Cremation (678)584-0914 is assisting the family with local arrangements. Messages of condolence may be made or viewed at www.GeorgiaCremation.com.

Stay inspired my friends!

One More Sparrow

“Nothing you become will disappoint me; I have no preconception that I'd like to see you be or do. I have no desire to forsee you, only to discover you. You can't disappoint me.” ― Mary Haskell

In life, we grow up and leave home to take on the world. And like the sparrows that scatter about, we go about our separate ways.

There will be moments of terror and frightened circumstance. But there will also be moments of delight and love to strengthen you.

While all this happens, remember there is unconditional love of your parents.

If you were not so fortunate, know there is always one constant and unconditional love from your faith.

No matter how many times we fail or ask, there will always be one more answer.

There will always be one more sparrow.



Stay inspired my friends!

Forward To Opportunity

“There will always be a door to the light.” ― Shiro Amano

There will be days go by when all we do is contemplate and worry over that which we have or has been done in our life. We will obsess over what might have been or what our current lot is in life.

Looking backwards constantly in our lives is one thing we must change in order to move ahead in our life.

Yes, knowing and understanding the history of where we have been is a good thing. We use it to study and reflect upon what we have previously done to place us where we are now.

To move ahead, we must look forward for opportunities that await us.

The key thing is to move forward and not stay chained to what has already occurred. In the physical sense, our eyes are in the front of our head...looking forward, not backwards. We walk forward and not backward.

Alexander Graham Bell said, "sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open." If we continue to look backwards never seeing the open door, we will never see the open door. We will never see new opportunity opening before us. We could drown in the fading light of history, wondering if things could have been different.

Keep your dreams in front of you, looking for new doors to change; for new opportunity that is presenting itself to you.

One door may close but another is always opening if we simply look for it. History and current circumstance will be your support, but forward momentum will be your future. Keep your eyes open and looking for that open door of opportunity.

Stay inspired in 2015 my friends!

2015 - Lets Do This

"New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

It is here, like it or not, the new year of 2015. We can fret that we were not ready but jump on board folks and lets do this thing.

Step boldly into this new year by making a difference in life, both large and small.. Write a great story for yourself and those around you.

And stay inspired my friends!