Ave Maria...

I am saying Aves today for my dear father as he undergoes a second carotid surgery. Please say one with me for him, as he has a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Mother. I wish I were there but this time I wasn't able to go.

The photo is from a very recent visit by his sister Maria Teresa, his only sibling and a widow of many years. She was a huge and wonderful presence in our lives with her creative drama adaptations and classes of all sorts. She and dad were educated in a British school in Rio, and we grew up listening to their affectionate English. My aunt lived next door to us, and their six children and the ten of us made a lively crowd.