At the
Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary
in Summit, New Jersey,
there are 17 Dominican Nuns
working  very  hard  to  make  ends  meet
by  running  a  Mail  Order  Gift Shop
called
THE  CLOISTER  SHOPPE

These  industrious  women  are
SOLELY
responsible  for  their  financial  support,
relying  completely  on  Divine  Providence.

The Roman Catholic Church, The Vatican,
The Holy See, The Bishop, etc...
DOES   NOT -  DOES  NOT
financially assist them in any way
AT  ALL !!!

That means that your last minute gift
can have dual purpose
and double strength in what it will do for others.

They  offer  beautiful  hand made,  natural soaps
in  bar,  as  well as  refillable  8 oz   liquid bottles
in  many  various  scents  and sets 
that  customers simply  rave  about !

One of their most popular sellers is a
citrus basil soap that is simply divine.

They've also created  NATURAL  scented room sprays
that won't poison your children and pets
at  a  fraction  of  Walmart  prices
in  environmentally  conscious  pump  spray  bottles

 If you're looking for natural body creams and lotions,
they have made them as well.

What I like the very best is the ability to
CREATE   YOUR  OWN  GIFT BASKET,
which they will fill with your exact specifications.

There are  many  plusses  and  more  choices
at the
CLOISTER  SHOPPE.

They offer books, dvds, religious statues and rosaries.

You can pay safely and securely with
PAY PAL
and they boast of
FAST  REASONABLE  SHIPPING !

Have a look and
GET  YOUR  ORDER  IN  VERY  SOON
as  all  production  CEASES
on  DECEMBER  17 th   !

In 1943, Norman Rockwell rendered
this  heartfelt  image
of  a  WW2  refugee
thanking  God  for  her  meal. 

The  painting  was  used
as  the  cover  for
The Saturday Evening Post.

It  shows  evidence  of
an unseen generous US Soldier
who has loaned the young woman
his  large  coat
to  stay  warm.

Although seventy years have passed
since  that  insane  era,
the  image  can  very  easily  be
believed  in  our  own  time,
for  we  still  haven't  solved
the  problem  of  people
suffering  in  similar  situations.

The madness of war continues
under  a  new  name
and  the  innocent
continue  to  be
the  greatest  victims.

As the Roman Empire,
founded on military might,
fell apart,
so we live
in a similar period of decay.

The Founder of Harvard University's
Sociology Department,
Pitirim  Sorokin,
observed  that  our  culture  is
oriented  towards  the  physical  senses;
has  exhausted  itself
and  is
d i s s o l v i n g;
proving  that  the  future
MUST
reform itself around
other ideas and purposes.


Let's hope we are able to form around
the idea and purpose of

L O V E

which brings with it many spiritual fruits,
such as

JOY  -   WISDOM  -  UNDERSTANDING  -  COUNSEL 

KINDNESS  -  GOODNESS  -  PATIENCE 

FAITHFULNESS  -  GENTLENESS  -  SELF  CONTROL  

FORTITUDE  -  KNOWLEDGE  -  PEACE 

{ to name a few }

as opposed to egomania, greed
and other hate filled havoc wreaking ideologies
before  we  all  perish !

For those of you who have
a tremendous amount to be grateful for,
and will be concerned about roasting the finest Turkey ever,
I share the following reliable and successful technique:

PERFECT   TURKEY  or  TURKEY  BREAST 

EVERY  TIME  !

Done in almost half the time of most recipes,
this no fail method will bring you the result.  

The  only  requirements  for
the  success  of  this  procedure  is
knowing  the  total  weight  of
your  oven  ready  bird,

{ which includes the weight of the stuffing, if any },

and Aluminum Foil or tight fitting cover for the roasting pan. 

You'll need to do a bit of math,
so get your pencil and paper ready.

CLEAN, SEASON,
{Bell's Seasoning is as good as it gets,
or create your own mixture.
Some folks swear that the enzymes in dried Apricots
added around the bird,
help in making it even juicier,
giving a different unexpected flavour,
despite the sulphites. 
Some criss cross the breast with bacon
for yet another dimension of flavour. 
This bacon is removed before the last half hour of roasting.},
STUFF,   {if desired- but REMEMBER to know the approximate weight of your stuffing},
AND  TRUSS  THE  BIRD.


COOKING  TIME  FORMULA  FOR  TWELVE  POUNDS  OR  LESS  OF  TURKEY:

15,{ FIFTEEN }, MINUTES  PER  POUND  PLUS  AN  ADDITIONAL  15,{ FIFTEEN }, MINUTES.

EXAMPLE:   TEN  POUND  TURKEY  PLUS  ONE  POUND  STUFFING  IN  BIRD 
EQUALS  ELEVEN  POUNDS  OVEN  READY  BIRD.    

{11  pounds oven ready bird }  X  { 15  minutes } =  165 minutes  +  15  minutes  =    180 MINUTES 

or  3 HOURS  COMPLETE  START  TO  FINISH  ROASTING  TIME.

 
COOKING  TIME  FORMULA  FOR  OVEN  READY  TURKEYS 

WEIGHING  MORE  THAN  TWELVE  POUNDS:

15,{ FIFTEEN }, MINUTES  PER  POUND  FOR  THE  FIRST  TWELVE  POUNDS, 
PLUS  12,{ TWELVE }, MINUTES  PER  POUND  FOR  EACH  POUND 
OVER  THE  ORIGINAL  TWELVE  POUNDS,
PLUS  AN  ADDITIONAL  15,{ FIFTEEN }, MINUTES.

EXAMPLE:   FOURTEEN  POUND  TURKEY  PLUS  TWO  POUNDS  STUFFING  IN  BIRD 
EQUALS  SIXTEEN  POUNDS  OVEN  READY  BIRD. 

{ 12 pounds }  X  { 15 minutes }  =  180 minutes 
PLUS  { 4 pounds } X { 12 minutes } = 48 minutes 
PLUS  an additional  15 minutes. 

FULL  ROASTING  TIME  CONSEQUENTLY  EQUALS  243  MINUTES 
or  4 HOURS and  FIVE  MINUTES  !!!

Now that you know what your roasting time will be,
this is the procedure:

PREHEAT  OVEN  TO  400 DEGREES !

PLACE  BIRD  IN  ROASTING  PAN  AND  SEAL WELL  WITH  ALUMINUM  FOIL 
LEAVING A BIT OF SPACE  BETWEEN THE FOIL AND THE BREAST
SO THE SKIN WON'T STICK TO THE FOIL.

PLACE  BIRD  IN  OVEN. 
SET  TIMER  FOR  FIFTEEN  MINUTES  !!! 
WHEN  TIMER  RINGS, TURN DIAL ON OVEN TO  375 DEGREES. 
DO  NOT  OPEN  OVEN  DOOR  !!!

NOW  CALCULATE  WHAT  TIME  IT  WILL BE  WHEN 
THERE  IS  A  HALF  HOUR  REMAINING  OF  YOUR  FULL  ROASTING  TIME. 

WHEN  THAT  TIME  COMES, 
OPEN  OVEN  DOOR  AND  REMOVE  ENTIRE  ROASTING PAN FROM OVEN. 
CLOSE  OVEN  DOOR  AS  SOON  AS  POSSIBLE  TO  KEEP  HEAT  IN. 

CAREFULLY,
{ and I mean carefully as steam will wildly escape at this point },
REMOVE  FOIL,
{ and bacon if you used it }. 
REPLACE  BIRD  INTO  OVEN  AND  ROAST  FOR THE FINAL  HALF  HOUR.

YOUR  BIRD  IS  NOW  PERFECTLY  ROASTED  AND  GOLDEN  ! 
REMEMBER  TO  ALLOW  IT  TO  REST  FOR  TWENTY  MINUTES  BEFORE  CARVING  !

!!!   HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  !!!

The process of moving in together was a long drawn out task.  It was a constant struggle to keep the
one bedroom apt organized and livable.    

Happily, we worked especially well with each other,
running DeFilippo Studio, Inc. and managing the
69 Unit Apt building where we lived and worked.  

We juggled our responsibilities, opening the sound stage
at 7:30 A.M. for shoots, producing TV commercials,
designing and creating special effects, dealing with tenants and building issues into the night.  

After twelve years of this routine, we had become well accustomed to having dinner at 11:00  P.M.

One evening,
after scaring every imaginary monster away
for one of the nutty tenants,  
Dom and I finally had time to sit.

I was determined to create room in our overfilled closets and asked him to spend time getting rid of unused things.                             
"All those ancient suits",  I went on,  " I've never even seen you wear any of em. They're outdated...
like that checkered thing, the corduroy one and that cream one. "

"Oh !",   Dom mused, " Well... let me tell you somethin', Babe",
{ the name he mostly called me unless there was something serious to discuss },

"I can  NEVER  get rid of that cream suit !
That's my  LUCKY  SUIT ! " 

"Y'know, it had to be a good 20 years ago that I wore it for the first time.
I was going to a rehearsal dinner and got ready early 'cause some of the guys were gonna
play a few hands of poker first.  I thought a black shirt and black shoes would look snappy with it. "

"I was hungry and  drove to a diner. Y'know, the one in your old neighborhood near the Police precinct.
It was down the block from where my friend lived. Y'know the place I'm talkin' about ?
What was the name of it  ?  I wonder if its still there. "

"Anyway, when I came out, it started pouring like mad and I saw these two little girls
opening an umbrella. But it wasn't any old umbrella; it was the first time I ever saw
a collapsible umbrella and it fascinated me. I thought, why didn't I invent that !"

"Anyway, I yelled, 'Girls Girls...would you walk me to my car ?'"


"Oh my God !",
my jaw dropped and I suddenly stood with the shock of the unexpected revelation,
"We have to call my sister right away ! "


"What's the matter, Babe ? Did you forget to do something important?"


" No, no.  You have to tell her this story right now or you may never know
just how lucky that suit really is.", I insisted.


Despite the midnight hour on a work night, Gigi was phoned and
Dom unwittingly retold the unfinished story. 
He wanted to finally say how he always won in poker
whenever he wore the Lucky Suit. 

Instead he was interrupted  again with her holler of recognition,
" OH WOW - OH WOW !"  


To everyone's surprise, Dom turned out to be,
not only the Handsome Man in the rainstorm,
but the Motorcycle Man too !

Is it any wonder that the name "Dominic" means "Gift from God" .
He certainly was that for me.

For many happy decades, the hum of that Candy Apple Red Harley was
a delightful reminder of God's mercy in healing me after almost an entire year of being ill !

As for the three piece Lucky Suit, it  will forever remain a cherished item in my closet.

I will remember to be specific and careful
what I ask of God
because

He gave me exactly, precisely what I had asked for... and more !  

WOW ... indeed !

In the dozen years after the rainstorm,
I had attended college, traveled the US,
restored a National Shrine, modeled in NY
and long since filed thoughts of
the handsome man away.

I was 24, living in a walk up Studio
Apartment over an Italian Restaurant in
Manhattan and working for a
Motion Picture Production Company.

When the weather was agreeable,
I spent my Sundays, NY Times in hand,
at one of the many parks with my
3 yr old Alsatian Shepherd.  

It was on a day like that  I met the man
who was to become my husband.

Dom arrived to exercise his black shepherd
and asked if I'd like a cup of coffee from
the Deli across the street. 





We stood in the sun together, warming our hands around the paper cups as the two huge dogs
​happily lumbered in circles around us.  As if we had not seen each other in millennia,
we chatted until the city turned purple and gold. 
The now drowsy dogs by our side, we strolled up 37th. Street,
where we shared a spontaneous first kiss goodbye. 

Dominic always referred to the "37 th Street Kiss" as
the moment he knew we were meant to be together.

A year later our knot was tied.

TO  BE  CONTINUED... {  NEXT:  THE CONCLUSION ! }

Throughout that rainy afternoon
and into the evening, 
I went over the
mental pictures of the man
andthe umbrella. ​
I believed I would never
lay eyes on him again.

As I said my evening prayers,
​I added with great sincerity,

"Dear Heavenly Father,
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
when I grow up,
PLEASE 
send me a husband just exactly
​like that man."  






A gawky twelve year old, already towering over all my classmates and growing taller
by the minute, I was very uncomfortable in my body. Other girls, women on the streets
and fashion magazines all looked like they were put together nicely,
while slacks and shirts were forever becoming too short for my long limbs. 

I had serious misgivings that there could be any husband, { ever ... at all, ! },
in my future and decided to pester God with my earnest request on a daily basis.
It would certainly  take a miracle. 
In fact, I consistently petitioned God for two years, until, one evening,
in hopeless exhaustion, I told God,

"I won't be asking You for this anymore. Whatever Your will for my life is, so be it."  

It was a great relief to let go of this issue and concentrate on things I  thought I could do
something about; swimming, singing and school.  Despite my drive to excel, a few years later,
during a Junior Olympics competition, I was hospitalized with a life threatening illness that
warranted immediate surgery and consequently became bed ridden for what seemed an eternity.

Schoolmates visited regularly to bring homework and I kept up with my studies.
For many, many months, I watched the world go by from my bedroom window. 
The neighbors definitely had their schedules and I came to know the hour by their activities.  

Most every afternoon, I heard a Harley approaching.  In secret, I watched the man,
foreboding in his gear, as he maneuvered the giant red bike to its spot.
His actions were always the same; climb off bike, remove helmet, tuck helmet under left arm,
run fingers once or twice through hair, look around, light a cigarette and enter a nearby building. 
An hour or so later, the distinct sound of the Harley's engine clued me that he was leaving. 
I innocently wondered, without resolve, what he might be up to.

Eventually I became well enough to return for the last few weeks of my Junior year of High School.
My girlfriends and I walked to and from school together. It was a happy, fun time for me. 
We often spotted the Motorcycle Man on our way home and dared each other to say hello.
Of course, not one of us had the guts.  We were convinced he was a Hell's Angel and certain trouble. 
College was prevalent in our minds and we giggled and chattered about possibilities,
knowing that our little group would soon split up forever.

TO  BE  CONTINUED...

My best friend was a Tom Cat
named Poochoo
when I was twelve.

Our souls were in tune
with each other and
when our family moved
that summer,  both of us
were a little mixed up
for awhile.








My older sister and I pounced at our freedom the afternoon our Mother released us from moving duties. We had traded one neighborhood in the City for another and were happy to go window shopping in familiar territory.  Our escape lasted one short block when black clouds unexpectedly took over with a thunder clap and a gusher of rain.


GiGi confidently looked at me as if to say, "No problem !", and proudly reached into her handbag to produce an item no one in NYC yet had, a pocket umbrella, which she had received as a special birthday present from a relative overseas.

As she opened it, we heard a man's desperate call to us,
"Girls, Girls !"

Under the stairway canopy of the corner Diner, stood the finest specimen of a man I had ever seen, wearing a cream suit, shiny black shoes and black shirt.
Even Rhett Butler, whom I was secretly in love with, suddenly paled in comparison.
It appeared as if a light was glowing only on him.
As corny as it sounds, I heard a chorus of angels all around him.
Yes, I was a hopeless preteen romantic.

I noticed his impish smile and gentle eyes as he continued,
"Would you share your umbrella with me ?
I'm late for a party and my car is parked just around the corner."

Well, if you're at all familiar with these umbrellas, you'll know they're quite small and fitting three
under one is impossible, unless one of you really is a cat.  Of course, I got bumped into
the drenching rain. After all, it wasn't my umbrella.  No matter, I was content
to walk a few steps behind and continued admiring the view.

The man had been honest about his car's location and thanked us as he unlocked the door and got in.

Now dripping wet from head to toe, my hair in strings around my face and
feet squeaking in soggy shoes, I gleefully chimed,
"Oh, that man was  SO  beautiful !  The  MOST  beautiful man I  EVER  saw ! 
When I grow up, I want to marry a man  EXACTLY  like that one !"

Playing mother, as older sisters sometimes do, and disgusted that our freedom
was to be short lived, GiGi scolded,
" Don't be ridiculous. That man never even noticed you, nor asked you your name !
Just look at you ! You're sopping ! We have to go home now !"

TO  BE  CONTINUED...

On this gorgeous August day, the lily pads that have frustrated my friend's lake, are glowing with life.
The patches of water vibrantly  reflect the blue sky, reminiscent of a Monet painting.
Like a healing balm, they exude a deep inner state of quietness within, bringing to mind a favorite quote that more deeply penetrates the soul:

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  John 14:27

When I allow these words to fill my mind, tension and worry leave and a powerful sense of healing spreads over me.  May it do the same for you and fill our world with the greatest peace of all.