| As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day in the US, I love this story that illustrates dreams that brought many of our ancestors to this country.
What WAS she thinking?
A young Italian woman and her small child stepped on U. S. soil for the first time at Ellis Island in New York harbor.
The immigration official got her vital statistics and then asked her, “How much money do you have? “None”, she said, “Maybe a few dollars.”
“How much education do you have?” “Not much”, she answered.
“What skills do you have for employment?” "None”, she replied.
“What does your husband do?” “ He works in New Jersey in the trenches,” she said.
“You mean he is a ditch digger?" he clarified.“Yes,” she replied.
The official asked, “You are telling me that you have come to America, with no money, no education, no marketable skills, with a small son and a husband who is a ditch digger?” “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that my son will grow up here and be the Governor of New York State,” said Mario Cuomo’s mother.
I love to hear former New York Governor Cuomo tell his story. His mother had a dream. It was a dream stronger than her circumstances and stronger than the obstacles she faced. A dream that brought her to a country where such dreams can come true!
Reference: Mario Cuomo; book Reason to Believe by Mario Cuomo
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