@TasteCorner: Time to reflect and be grateful! Count your blessings!

  

"Count your blessings

    Name them one by one 

Count your blessings

          See what God has done"     

                               

This is one of my favorite song verses that I learned from school and has stuck with me ever since. This song reminds me to be grateful, thoughtful, and respectful of nature and just about everything in life that we take for granted. With that thought in mind, I really want to focus on the positives and the goodness happening around me this month! 

Mother's Day was the most memorable day this month. My little one made this adorable and colorful beaded bracelet with a hanging glass dolphin charm. It was such a very thoughtful gift! And surprisingly my older one promised to bake me a cake but I think laziness kind of took over and he totally forgot about it ...but I have no complaints... I am just thankful that they have good thoughts and kind words to say on Mother's Day!! Another sweet treat that we had during the month of May was Mango Kulfi! The whole family enjoyed this treat! Personally, I hate mangoes even though I grew up in a South Indian town known for its extremely luscious mangoes!! The recipe for this mango kulfi is very straightforward and simple. A combination of some easy store-bought mango pulp, whole fat milk, and the right amount of sugar can make any mango lover fall for this simple yet tasty delicacy. Below is a 

snapshot.

Last but not least I just cannot say bye yet without sharing my book review on this true yet fictionalized historical story. This is a story set during the World War II period mainly between 1943 and 1945 and it  also embarks on the courageous journey  Pino Lella took during this time to defend the honor of Italy.

To begin with, Pino Lella is a normal Italian teenager who is obsessed with food, music, sports, and girls. He comes across Anna, a widow six years older than her. He instantly falls in love with her and asks her on a date for an evening movie show. But she does not show up and he is sadly stuck with his younger brother Mimo and they both watch the show without Anna. Suddenly during the midst of the  show hell breaks loose and soon he finds that the Allied Forces are dropping bombs from their aircrafts and it is just utter chaos and uproar everywhere. Luckily Pino Lella and Mimo escape death. Later Pino's parents send both their kids to a Catholic Boys School in Casa Alpina to wait out the bombing and also to be safe and secure. Pino under the leadership of Father Re trains to become an Alpine mountain guide and helps the Jew refugees escape Italy into Switzerland.

In June 1944 Pino Lella turns 18 and as a young Italian he is drafted by the state into the military.

He could either join Mussolini's Fascist army and fight in the Russian front or he could enlist with the German army. Well Pino chooses the latter option against his own wishes. During this timeframe as a young teenager, Pino lands himself a job with his abilities to speak French and driving a car.He lands a position as a personal driver and confidant to one of  Hitler's most powerful commander General namely Hans Leyer. This seems like a serendipitious opportunity to Pino's aunt and uncle. They understand the importance of this position because they were already helping the Allies and the Italian Resistance. So being General  Leyer's personal driver Pino observed as much as he could,collected  information and passed it on to the Allies through his shortwave radio. Thus he came to be known as the 'Observer' to the Allies.

Now as Pino is spying for the Allies and enduring the horrors of the war unfolding right in front of his eyes, he is also strengthened by the love of his life Anna whom he surprisingly stumbles upon at Leyer's mistress apartment working as a maid. 

Finally on April 24,1945 Pino gets orders from the Resistance to arrest Leyers and deliver him to the American Command,led by 5th US Army Major Frank Knebel. After the handover, Pino and Major Knebel witness some very hideous moments in Italian history : they witness the public desecration of Benito Mussolini's body. Hitler kills himself two days later. Pino accepts to fulfill one last American mission and  personally drive and escort an important , high ranking Nazi official from American custody  to the Austrian border to be safely interrogated for the intelligence he has about Hitler's Reich. On May3,1945 Pino drives General Leyer and delivers him as promised.  This final escort ends Pino's involvement with WWII.  

This story is definitely a story of courage,faith and heroism. I highly recommend this book to the readers of my blog!