Tools, A Personal Memoir Kindle EReader

Pleased and humbled to announce that Tools, A Personal Memoir, Vol 1, is now available for Kindle EBooks. Pleased, because it was kind of(in my mom's words)...a pain in the ass. I'm not confident when it comes to tech stuff..like many in my generation, this internet & computer stuff, isn't in our genes. After unsuccessfully trying to register an account and upload the text..I found a small company on the Amazon website to help me format Tools...for Kindle. So that was all good! Why humbled? I feel humbled because...my God there are so many books and things out there...how is anyone ever going to find my little tribute book about Dad? But when I think about it..I am soon reminded about a chapter that I wrote about Dad in Tools. Dad was always proud of everything I ever did...size didn't matter...he was always appreciative of my efforts..and proud of my accomplishments...big and small. So if I start feeling intimidated by the thought of the size & competition of all the books & stuff on the internet, I type in Dad's book title..Kindle store...and wait for it to pop up...and there it is...pops up like an old friend showing up at your side door...and I smile...I smile because I can see Dad smiling...and I laugh...because I can hear Dad laughing...and I feel proud...because I feel Dad's love.

Happy New Year

January 1st. Hard to believe it's here. Haven't really thought about the coming year. Maybe because we spent the Christmas holiday in Youngstown, Ohio with Anne's folks, and I did alot of reflecting there. One thing for sure. Finding it harder to go back to Youngstown, and easier to leave. Enjoy my in-laws, but miss my folks. A true reminder of the years passing & how things change. Seeing where I grew up, friends gone. Some died, others just moved on. More change. Still connected with most of my cousins, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church, my brother in spirit..Dave C., and a few HS friends. Still feel a sense of identity & roots there, though I planted my roots in Nashville some 32 years ago. Interesting to see my hometown through my children's eyes. My cousin's restaurant(Hey Dad, how are we related again..OK..you lost me..?), Handels Ice Cream, & Mill Creek Park. Glad I gave them a different opportunity to grow up in though. Much like my grandparents did for us in leaving Sicily & Italy. Glad for the upbringing of my own folks, who gave me their many gifts, including their gift of letting go. So I guess my new year spirit of reflection really started last week, as I was visiting Y-Town for Christmas week, & then leaving Youngstown on Dec. 27th, heading back home with my wife, daughter(in from Boston), and teen aged son. Reflecting on the past & future, closing out another year heading out on 1-80 West, welcoming a change of scenery as we headed home, and looking in the rear-view mirror reminding myself of why I left Youngstown in the first place. Situations change, dreams change, and I guess I've changed, too. Still, I recall the words from Paul Simon's little known verse of The Boxer. "Changes upon changes we are more or less the same." So...maybe things haven't changed that much at all. Here's to another year of reaching for those old & new dreams & enjoying life con mi familia & mi amicos. Love to all..Happy New Year. Tom