The following tribute was comprised by my father in loving memory of his father, my grandfather, our Papi.
Domingo D. Acosta (87)
Born December 23, 1923 Havana, Cuba
Died March 18, 2011 Terre Haute, Indiana
Mother: America Acosta, Father: Diego Figueredo
Preceded in death by his first wife Lydia Moreno Acosta, (Puerto Rico), 1994; his son, Anthony Lee Acosta (Miami Fl.), 2004; his widow Lizzette Acosta (NYC); third wife Carmen Rivera Acosta, (Miami,Fl) 2008.
Surviving is his second wife (divorced) Carida Ruiz Acosta (NYC); sons, Domingo Paul Dacosta (Terre Haute,IN), his wife Mary Elizabeth Werling Dacosta; Patrick Americo Acosta, (South Bend, IN), his wife Donna Skelton Acosta; Elvis Acosta Col. US Army (Hawaii), his wife Fatima Acosta.
Arrived in America (NY): 4 Sep 1947
Naturalization Date: 10 Dec 1956 in Bronx, NY
Domingo served our country during World War II as a United States Merchant Marine assigned to the Atlantic theater as a Ships Pilot and Boiler Engineer stationed in the New York City port.
He was a 30-year member of the Buildings & Trades Union in New York City (retired). Dom loved to hunt, fish, and competition archery. He enjoyed Italian cooking and western movies, especially "The Duke" (John Wayne). He was a proud conservative and his favorite President was Ronald Reagan. Dom worked full-time until he was 70 years old, and part-time until he was 75 years. He lived in Miami, Florida for 10 years until the death of his third wife Carmen. He moved to Indiana in 2005.
Dom attended New Life Community Church of Terre Haute (Pastor Paul Carey) and was led to the Lord and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior on February 01, 2004.
Domingo requested cremation, and a celebration of his life will be held at the New Life Community Church, Meadows Mall Lower level, Terre Haute, IN on March 22, 2011, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.
The family would ask in lieu of flowers that a charitable gift be offered to:
My Grandpa went on to be with the Lord this morning. He had been battling Alzheimer's for years and at the age of 87 left this life behind to enjoy his forever home. I am not sad in the sense of despair because I believe there are better things ahead than any we leave behind. I am only sad that I don't know how long I must wait to be reunited with him and my other loved ones who went on before him.
When experiencing the death of a loved one, we are faced with the reality that this life is not all there is. I believe that those who know Christ will go to Heaven not because it's a nice thought and it gives a sense of hope...but I have hope because I believe God's Word to be true. I don't believe it because it's comforting or palatable, I believe it because God Himself says this:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many mansions; if that were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.You know the way to the place where I am going. (John 14:1-4)
If we look for truth, we may find comfort in the end; if we look for comfort we will not get comfort or truth only wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. I look to God for truth and in His truth I find hope.
For some it is difficult to understand this kind of faith. To those who have faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. This verse addresses our lack of full comprehension of God:
Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
I trust in the knowledge that some day all of God's mysteries will be revealed in HIS timing, not my own. Life on earth is just a snapshot in the full picture of our existence.
Every one of us will eventually take our last breath and that is not said to frighten anyone but to encourage others to rely on good news that with our last breath on earth we will take our first breath in Heaven. There is comfort in knowing that we are only a breath away from true freedom and everlasting peace with our Saviour. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. My Grandpa prayed the sinner's prayer years ago to prepare him for today.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25) For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:12)
Here are a few photos of my Grandpa, Domingo Acosta.
My Grandpa, My Grandma (also in Heaven) and My Papa
He was a deep sea fisherman for many years
My Grandpa and My Pappy - my angels
Four Generations - My Papa, Grandpa, Brother and Nephew
Enjoying one of his favourite past times. Being outdoors.
Here are a few of my favourite memories of my Grandpa:
He taught me how to salsa dance at age 10.
He put together my childhood dollhouse by hand right down to the very last shingle - a keepsake I still have.
When I was 12 he took a gold bracelet off of his wrist and told me he wanted me to have it. The way it was so spontaneous made it even more evident it was straight from the heart and so meaningful. Another keepsake I still have.
He compassionately loved and cared for his wife throughout years of her suffering with Parkinson's disease. He never left her side.
His famous quotes spoken with his Cuban/New Yorker accent: "Fuhgetaboutit" "So fah (far) so good" and "How tha hell do I know?"
The fact that he could eat an entire bag of honey drops and no one else I know could stand the nasty things! They were his absolute favourite. :)
He was a sweet, funny and lovable man. He taught me the definition of contentment and I'm pretty sure I developed my stubbornness from him too. :) I'm grateful for every moment I had with him in this life.
Those closest to me know that I have an obsession with Ireland and it's culture as a whole. I'm a total Irish-wannabe! I have about a pinkie finger's worth of Irish in my background but I embrace it fully! :) I've had the opportunity to visit Ireland not once but twice and both experiences left me more in love with all things Irish.
During our visits we enjoyed a quaint Irish Bed and Breakfast called Avarest B&B (how cute is that name!) which to this day was the best breakfast I've EVER had. We also stayed one night in Dromoland Castle...yes...a CASTLE! Every girl and woman's dream right?! And both visits we had the same carriage driver that took us on a beautiful scenic ride through the countryside of Ireland. He had a true Irish name....Michael Joseph O'Sullivan and his eyes creased at the corners and sparkled as he gave a toothless smile and told witty Irish jokes. These are just a few of the highlights from our trip.
What do I love so much about Ireland? First of all I love the Irish people. I love their accents, their wit and their laid back attitude. There are so many things about their culture that I love - their food, their dance, their landscape, their convictions, their music...they have so many traditions and aspects of their culture that I admire and enjoy.
One of the more specific things I love about Ireland is, of course, clovers. I have so much clothing, jewelry, etc. with shamrocks due to my Irish obsession. This Irish symbol was first coined by Saint Patrick for the Holy Trinity. Most of us know the legend that 4 leaf clovers are considered to be lucky but I think few know that the 3-leaf clover was used to represent how The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit can be separate but also part of the same entity.
In addition to my collection of clovers, I also have jewelry with the traditional Celtic Knot design often found in Ireland and one of my favourite pieces of jewelry is the Claddagh ring I got during my first trip in Ireland.
The Celtic Knot is said to symbolize eternity because the lines, due to the way it is designed, typically seem to have no beginning and no end. It is probably the most identifiable type of Celtic Art.
The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown).
Claddagh rings may be used as friendship, relationship, eternity, engagement, or wedding rings depending on the intention of wearer and, in the case of a gift, of the giver. There are three traditionally accepted ways of wearing the ring which may signal someone's relationship status:
1. When worn on the right ring finger with the heart pointing to the fingertip, the wearer is free of any attachment.
2. On the same finger with the ring turned around, it suggests someone is romantically involved.
3. When the ring is on the left hand wedding ring finger it means the person is married or engaged.
This is a photo of my Claddagh ring. I LOVE that the heart is an emerald and the crown is made of tiny diamonds.
Here are a few other traditional Irish things that I love and enjoy.....
1. Self portrait wearing the blue wool sweater and shamrock necklace I got during my first trip to Ireland. You can find these kinds of sweaters in almost every shop in Ireland.
2. Waterford Crystal vase I received from my parents. Little fact: Waterford crystal prides themselves on perfection. If there is even the slightest defect during the glass blowing process they will scrap it and start over. So every piece of crystal artwork from Waterford Crystal is absolute perfection. :) I recommend touring the Waterford Crystal factory if you are ever in Ireland...such a cool experience.
3. Traditional Irish dancers - we saw both professional performances and street dancers during our Irish visits. All of which were phenomenal and so fun to watch as they bounced around on their toes.
4. Harp is an Irish beer and I prefer it over Guinness
5. This will sound strange to some but I had the best tomato basil soup I've ever had in my life while in Ireland. My Mom and I always order tomato soup on the menu of any restaurant in hopes to find something that tastes like it. The closest we have found is the tomato soup from Mia Za's but it still isn't quite the same.
6. This is just one of the beautiful views you can find in Ireland. It's a photo of the Cliffs of Mohr taken during our first trip to Ireland.
Here are a few videos of Irish dance and music that I love.
This video is of the cutest Irish dancer I've ever seen! :)
Here are two of my favourite Irish artists - Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan
This was probably my longest blog post ever, but as you can see there are so many wonderful things about the Irish and I could go on for days sharing stories about this wonderful country and its culture!
Our lives might not always be the most exciting, but I love our life! I'm perfectly content being a "house cat". I find ways to keep myself busy indoors. Aside from everyday household tasks like laundry, cleaning, cooking etc. I am also actively involved in a teen outreach program that allows me the opportunity to work/volunteer from home. In addition to that, I am involved in various pro-life efforts that thanks to technology allows me to stay connected. I also love to read. I have gone through several books in our short time here and have several more on my bookshelf that I'm anxious to dive in to. In the evenings Jared and I enjoy relaxing in front of the tv, playing with our cats and if he gets home from work at a decent hour we enjoy walking the streets of our quiet little town here in Lutry, Switzerland. I'm looking forward to the longer, warmer days of spring and summer so we can enjoy more photo adventures together. We're pretty simple people who enjoy the simple things in life.
Over the weekend we went to our friends Julia and Morgan's place and enjoyed authentic Swiss cheese fondue, wine and great conversations. Julia and I often get together once during the week for some "girl time" and just hang out. We are so grateful for their friendship. In a foreign country, far from our friends and families back home, it's nice to have fun and sweet people to enjoy these experiences with.
We also enjoyed Skyping with my parents a couple times this week. It's always nice to SEE their faces and catch up. It helps with the homesickness. I feel less far away after one of our video chats. I love and miss my family dearly but I'm so thankful for the technology that can bring us together like that. I can't wait for their visit in May!
Based on many of the messages I receive I think people assume that because we are in this exciting and beautiful place that we should be doing all of these exotic or extravagant things everyday. Reality is yes, we live in an exciting and beautiful place but the keyword is we LIVE here...we are not vacationing here. We are doing our best to take full advantage of our experience here but time and money have the same limits they have on anyone regardless of location. We are grateful for each and every day and even on our most uneventful of days we are enjoying life to the fullest.
Blood Money is a film that examines the history of abortion in America, from the inception of Planned Parenthood and the profitability of abortion clinics, to Roe v. Wade - the court ruling which made abortion legal in 1973, to the denial of when life begins, to the fight to save the lives of innocent babies, and the devastating effects it has had on the women and their families that have had them. Here is a brief trailer for the film:
I watched this documentary for the first time several months ago and noted that they did an excellent job of introducing the facts along with personal testimonies to highlight the true injustice of abortion. They interviewed post-abortive women, former abortion workers, medical experts, and many human rights leaders. One of those human rights leaders is Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who is following his lead as an abolitionist of human injustice.
The most compelling information in this documentary aside from the scientific details is the revealing truths shared by former abortion provider, Carol Everett. The horrors of what goes on inside these abortion clinics and the lies being spread by abortion proponents is almost unfathomable. Here is a video compilation of Carol's first-hand experiences working in the abortion industry. The information given is disturbing and the content may be difficult to digest so I encourage you to watch at your own discretion. (there are no graphic images in this clip)
I challenge you to watch this film in its entirety. This is the reality of abortion that very few talk about or even recognize as reality. I have to believe that if more people knew the truth of what abortion is, what it does and who it affects that abortion would not only be illegal but it would be unthinkable.
I commend the makers of this film and all those who are a voice for reason on the issue of abortion. Be a voice for reason and act now to protect the most vulnerable by sharing the truth and by sharing this film with your friends, family and acquaintances.
You can also be a gentle witness by joining 40 Days For Life which is currently in the middle of their spring 2011 Campaign. You can be a face of hope for vulnerable women during an unexpected pregnancy. These campaigns has saved thousands of lives over the years not only of women seeking abortions and their children but of abortion workers who because of prayerful presence got out of the abortion business for good.
Another way to get involved is to volunteer or donate to your local life-affirming pregnancy centers so that women in need have a place of hope where they will find compassionate resources during their time of need.
Whatever you do...do something. Silence is consent. And we cannot afford to be silent on this issue.
