A celebration for Lina

Among the season’s festivities, the one I attended on Sunday was a special one for
a long term, dear friend, who turned 99 on that day.  

Angela, mostly known as Lina, but also called GrandMa, Nonna, and Ma, was surrounded by 4 generations of descendants that include 10 great grandchildren, lots of great nieces and nephews, in addition to a host of other friends.



We all had a wonderful time at a cozy restaurant in the area of Queens, N.Y.  


The luncheon started around 1pm, and it went on for 5 hours with lots of good, hearty Italian food and a huge strawberry shortcake (her favorite) to close the feast.

The lady we all love is physically frail, but her mind and stamina are to be admired.  During the entire afternoon she greeted a lot of people, who were swarming around her with balloons, flowers, gifts, and a lot chatting.

It was practically impossible to take a good picture of her because the crowd was hard to navigate, when everyone happily moved around to talk not only to her, but with everyone else around, to get updated on each other’s news, and to take photos of the event.   Some flew into town just for the occasion and it was the perfect opportunity to visit while celebrating a longevity of work and dedication to family and friends.  Happy Birthday, Lina, and many more to come!