The gold of a warm heart

The gold on the cover carries the names of the people to whom I dedicate this book. It stands for my parents, Antonio and Guglielmina, who left their familiar world behind to give their children a future. For the miners, who gave their strength and health deep beneath the earth. For Italian migrants and their families, who built a new life with courage and sacrifice.↗

I also think of Dorina, of Marco and Michael, of my grandchildren, my brothers, my family and my friends. Of those who placed their trust in me, taught me something or stayed beside me when times were difficult. Some appear often in this story. Others were present only briefly, but their gesture has stayed with me.↗

Their worth cannot be measured in money. I recognize it in my father's work, my mother's care, a friend's loyalty and the love people continue to give one another. Even those who never received recognition deserve to have their lives and efforts acknowledged.↗

That is why gold runs like a quiet thread through these pages. It connects what we have built with what we have had to let go. It reminds me that, alongside grief, the warmth of an encounter and the beauty of an ordinary life can also endure.↗

Everyone deserves gold in this life: the gold of a warm heart.↗