Day 12 of 25 DAYS OF HUGGING:
Christina was born an “Elvis” fan; even though Elvis was gone before Christina turned 11, he was her favorite musician for life. It was his ability to wrap the crowd, especially all those kids back then, in his voice and give them all a big hug. She loved the music and she loved the warmth of his voice, the hug in every word. Often she turned to Elvis songs when she needed an extra, slightly different, boost that the rest of us just couldn’t provide.
In a similar fashion, Christina formed a special bond with her two brother-in-laws: Mike Carinato and Mike Guilfoyle. The three of them were all middle children, all very sympathetic souls, and all surrounded by type-A older siblings and classic younger siblings. Christina made no secret of how great “the three of us middle children” had turned out, and how much luckier they were than those of us on the extreme. The pressure of birthday parties (trying being an Italian mother and you’ll understand!), of family events, or even of hard times, all melted away when one of the Mike’s arrived. She would say “I can’t take it Mike!” and one of the Mike’s would point at something or someone and Christina would melt while hugging them in tears of laughter. It was just that simple.
Even in the worst of times, the “Mikes” were able to calm Christina in a way we couldn’t because she was so worried about us. Kind of like Elvis. Find someone to help your “power boost” and then get back to work hugging! That’s what Elvis and the “Brother-in-laws Mike” meant to Christina!
May we all be lucky enough to have a “Mike” in our lives!!
Please consider a donation to the charity at www.celebratingchristina.org/donate.
One day, one goal, one big hug at a time.