Start Here.... The Family Table

Hi, my name is Jeff Piacitelli(email me- photo by Ezrie Pace). I'm the 3rd, of 5 children, born to James E. and Helen E. Piacitelli. Like many families that are moving about the country, we are looking for a way to stay in each others lives by keeping up with the events that happen to each of us as our family continues to grow.

While growing up, my parents did an excellent job of using meal times as the time for our family to meet. Daily, we'd all meet at the family table and eat breakfast and dinner together. Initally Mom would cook these meals and, later on, she'd have us- the kids, help with preparation and clean up. Dad would help out too, on a regular basis he would do the dishes on Sunday after dinner. Later, when Mom when back to working out side the home, Dad prepared breakfast too(His efforts in the morning kitchen bring back memories and inspire urban legends). Around the table at meal was an excellent time for us to interact with one another and find out some of what was happening in the lives of our family members. These meals were important to our family. I remember getting into trouble more than once for not showing up or showing up late to these meals when I was a kid. As our family grew and the pick-nick table and benchs were eventually replaced with a table and chairs. We invited other family members and friends(adopted family) over, to our family table, to join in our conversations. Likewise members of our family were invited to share the at a table with other members of our family and friends. Lots of memories- not just of the food either. Memories: Such as the announcement of Mom being pregnant with Nanci, Brad Pace proposing marriage to Becki, Nanci- in an effort to control her laughing, walking around the table, Jill getting a perm, Matt getting a hair cut from Dad and Jeff being told to leave to flush 'The Grouch' down the toilet.
Over time the family filling chairs at the table became fewer. Matt going to the Academy, Becki and I going on missions began the loss of the daily gatherings. I miss the converstions at the family table. We've grown with communications technology, using it to try and maintain. Letters yelding to phone calls, and calls to email and cell phones. Now a new wrinkle the net and blogs. I'm frustrated when I speak to Mom about getting a computer, a cell phone, an email address. But, I can relate to her resistance to the relentless advancement of communications technology. On a regular basis there are new products introduced to try and help minimize the distance between people. These all cost: money and time to learn to use and operate. Sometimes the type of technology we use excludes others in our communications becasue of formats, compatabily problems and some people don't have a computer or internet access. With this in mind I do believe that Blogs offer many advantages over the short commings of some older technology. Access is simple, via any computer w/internet connection. No just a computer either, but a 'Blackberry', 'Palm', cell phone and more stuff can, with the proper hardware and software, access and contribitue to this forum/Blog. Add comments or pictures and piggy back on the stuff that somebody else puts on the Blog. (Someone may be wondering 'What is a Blog?' Click on this link for the answer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog) In my opinion(IMO), this virtual family table is a format that can help us to keep in each other lives- if we use it, and will make those occasions when we gather round the real family table better. Idealy it will become like the old family table where life was communicated- the good and the bad, a place to be together.

So here it is: You are invited to come, to read, to post, to participate in the Piacitelli Family Blog. There is no age restriction to interact. No blood requirement; our common ancestor may need to be no closer that Adam or Eve.

A caution however. Because this format will be open and accessable to those outside our circle of family and friends, BEWARE OF WHAT YOU POST. Please protect your self and loved ones by considering carefully any personal information such as age, address, phone numbers, Social Security number, account numbers, personal schedules, etc. This caution is not just limited to this Blog but to all of your activities on a computer. (For more information on Identity Theft see 'Computer Crimes and Scams' at Clark Howard's page for a launching point http://clarkhoward.com/