C is for coraggio sempre... an inspiring Italian phrase that means "courage always"... I first heard it late last year after a dinner we had in honor of an old family friend who was about to return home to Italy because his body was no longer able to continue its long fight against cancer. To put it crudely, he was going home to die. He was a very humble, unassuming, quiet, thoughtful man who was far more than he appeared. He had lived a life full of adventure and self-sacrifice in many of the world's troubled areas. He was a cherished mentor and educator. It was extremely painful for us to say goodbye, and ironically, the evening wound up with him consoling us, rather then vise-versa. Strong, brave, and selfless to the end, his final words to us were, "coraggio sempre!"
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