A special birthday present for brother Steve on his 69th birthday - Grandma Ruggieri's 100 year old ornate Catholic holy candle

At my brother John's place- a quaint cottage village with the Ocean State view of the bay- the family celebrated my brother Steve and sister Rita's 69th birthday. My sister Adrienne presented Steve with a truly precious family memory- an ornate candle holder that we recall as always lit in a darkened room on the second floor of 62 Gesler St in Federal Hill section of Providence, Rhode Island. Sleeping in Grandma Ruggieri's bedroom on a summer night circa 1957 I recall the candle flame light and the smell of fresh baked bread coming in through the screen from DeSantis Bakery. Early in the morning Grandma would take my older brother Ricky and I to 7:00 AM mass at nearby Holy Ghost Church. After mass we three would stop to buy some ripe peaches at one of Federal Hill's open air stands . One Christmas season I bought Grandma a cheap amethyst necklace at a Washington Park Five & Dime store. She always wore it with the good natured simplicity of the Italian peasant.