Adam (we call him Dan), Robert (we call call him Bob), Elisabeth (we call her Lizza) and John (John is just John).  Brothers and sister – this is how we “celebrated” Christmas this year.  Oh, and then there’s me – Romeo (they call me Rome).  We five are quite different in personality and I would say an eccentric bunch who mostly don’t mind being isolated during this most unusual time we are living in.  And what a year it has been!

And of course, I can’t forget the matriarch of this crazy bunch, our mom – Alberina – who you see below with me and the rest of us.   People who know her call her Bina or Bee (as my dad did).  Some of my friends simply call her Mama because that is who she is and will always be – a Mama, who only wants the best for everyone.  She has had one hell of a year.  Just restoring this woman’s mental health in the middle of a pandemic has been a challenge.  If you would have asked me if my mother would have been around 10 years after my dad’s passing, I would have been skeptical.  She was both mentally and physically fragile after his passing.  So for her to still be here is a miracle.   Brave, tough woman…and as I’ve called her before in a previous post – a Warrior.

I’m doing some minor re-writes on my screenplay BREAK AWAY – a story that has a protagonist who deals with mental illness.  After my virtual call with David Wappel, his assessment of my script can be summed up in his own words:  “I’m looking for the tiny little connections that explain why the plot goes the way it does – tease out these connections.”  In the new year, David and I will be having a 2nd call on my screenplay LET IT SHINE.

My writing focuses very much on family dynamics, complex relationships and the struggles of the human experience.  In all my writings, the overriding theme is one of hope but it does not come easy.  Most things in life that matter do not come easy…whether that be your mental/ physical/spiritual health, exercise, eating right, a job, a marriage, a problem child, ailing parents, estranged family members or any passion that drives you.

I came across this great quote by Ziad K. Abdelnour who is a Lebanese-born American investment banker, financier, activist and author.   In 2016 he was named as one of the 500 most influential CEO’s in the world.   It’s a great quote to end this year and leave you with hope – that change is possible in your life (my mother is living proof of this).   But you must DO THE WORK.  No one can do it for you.  No one can write my script (and I am the first to admit that I’ve struggled with writing this year).   You are capable of more than you realize.  Flip that negative switch in your mind and start tomorrow… the new year.  But don’t stop there.  Keep that fire burning and keep trying.   Best to you all in 2021!   Ziad’s quote: