October Surprises
By Kitch & Tony Mussari
Copyright 2011
Mussari-Loftus Associates
The Face of America Project
www.faceofamericawps.com
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October is a fine and dangerous season in America. It is a wonderful time to begin anything at all. Thomas Merton
Waiting for the Snow to Melt
Like everyone else in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding states, we are waiting for the rare October snow to melt.
This picture of the Angel Garden is but one of 200 digital images I snapped at various times during the storm.
In our little corner of the world, we had almost a foot of snow. The water-laden crystals covered everything in our garden. It caused branches on the trees to bend and, in some cases, touch the ground. The images were delightful. The sounds of silence were peaceful. The power and poetry of nature was humbling.
On the flip side, trees were downed causing power outages. Driving was treacherous, and people were inconvenienced. Some suffered. One of our friends who is up in years and living alone in a mobile home has only a space heater to keep her warm. She is a courageous face of America who needs help. Kitch does what she can to fill in the gaps.
 I must confess. I love snow. It brings back wonderful memories of my childhood complete with sleigh rides, snowball fights, building snowmen, and freezing cold hands being carefully warmed over a coal stove. We laughed together, played together, got wet together. We did these things in real time, with real people in neighborhoods where everyone knew their neighbors.
Where we lived, no one was wealthy, and every home was heated with anthracite coal, commonly known here as black diamonds. It was a glorious time of community, camaraderie and simple pleasures. It was a time that was, but will never be again.
Battling Cancer
Last Sunday our Face of America journey took us to a wonderful celebration of survival. For three hours we joined a room full of heroes who know the agony of cancer in real and very personal ways. They also know the ecstasy of survival, and the complications one encounters during recovery.
Affectionately titled “Its All About Me Pink Tea: Stories of Survivorship,” the event was sponsored by Candy’s Place, The Center for Cancer Wellness.
You can read our account of this beautiful and poignant experience at this secure address:
http://faceofamericawps.com/news/finding-the-ecstasy-in-life-after-the-agony-of-cancer/
Saying Good-Bye to a Friend
Our Face of America journey took us to Brooklyn on a beautiful Friday afternoon. I went to share a painful moment with one of our former  students, Rob Anderson. Rob has been a good friend to both Kitch and me. In fact, when Kitch was diagnosed with breast cancer, Rob competed in a race for a cure. He dedicated his run to his mother and Kitch.
Rob’s mom, Frances Grasso, was a model for Kitch. Unfortunately, her cancer spread to her brain and she died a peaceful death surrounded by her four children: Michelle, Jennifer, Melissa, and Rob.
At her viewing, her oldest daughter, Michelle, described her mother with these words. “My mother was thoughtful, caring and kind. She taught us to always reach up for our best.”
I know that to be the case, because Kitch and I had the privilege of teaching Frances Grasso’s only son. He always responded with his best effort. He is a very good person with a very good heart. He willingly to gives of himself to help others.
Rob was very kind to us during our Face of America trip to Florida.
He is a living legacy of the love and kindness of his mother.
Being a very small part of Rob’s tribute to his mother reminded me of the words of Albert Einstein: “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us...”
Frances Grasso, 54, lives on in Michelle, Jennifer, Melissa and Rob, and all the people who know them.
Moving Forward
Kitch and I have decided to produce a documentary about battling cancer. It will draw upon our experiences and the things we learned during  the past year.
In may be hard to believe this, but the idea came to us after we discovered Martina McBride’s song “I’m Gonna Love You Through it.” It’s written with conviction and warmth. It’s a wonderful story, and it is a testimony to Martina McBride’s great talent.
An unsuccessful effort to enlist the support of McBride’s production company provided us with a great opportunity. We needed a song and a music bed for our project, so we wrote lyrics that speak to the central theme of the documentary and Kitch's experience battling cancer.
Our friend Mike Lewis helped us make a connection with a producer in Nashville, and next month our song will be recorded.
We have our fingers crossed. We hope things will work out well. We will keep you posted on any developments.
From the Courthouse
On October 17, I drove the Luzerne County Courthouse to respond to a summons for jury duty. For a good part of the week, I had the privilege of living one of the values that exemplifies America at its best, equal justice under law for everyone.
In my opinion, being a part of a jury pool provides invaluable insight into America and Americans at the ground level.
You can read about what I discovered at this secure address:
http://faceofamericawps.com/news/maintaining-justice-jury-duty/
Picture of the Month
 One afternoon, I saw something I had never seen before. In fact, when I first saw the hawk having lunch in our backyard, I did not believe my eyes. After I snapped a few pictures, the hawk decided to make a quick exit. Fortunately I had the camera set to the shutter speed and exposure.
This is a picture that speaks to elegance, strength, survival and nature in its unvarnished form.
Until the next time we hope that all of your stories have happy endings.
(Picture of children in the snow courtesy of The Library of Congress digital collection)
Tony & Kitch Mussari
Producers
The Face of America Project
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