No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

First, I would like to thank everyone for being here today, to celebrate the mass of our angel Luciano, Roberto. It’s truly beautiful to see all the colors worn here today to honor our angel.
 

It’s been a little over a week since our tragic loss and I’m not sure where the time has gone. What I do know is that during these last nine days we have really been tested, we have been broken, and we have been picked up by the outpouring love from our family, friends and this beautiful community. We’re also touched and blessed by many signs from God, Mary, Jesus, and even my deceased father. Our faith is what has me up here today to deliver this eulogy message in honor of our Luciano, Roberto.
 

If you google the name meaning of Luciano, it says: light, shining. If google the name meaning of Roberto it says: famed, bright, shining. We did not know whole name meant light until this week, but it truly defines or a little Angel. Looch also had two different color eyes, one gray one hazel.
 

Luciano, Roberto was born on March 26, 2021 right before 10 AM. He was welcomed by four older siblings and a curious dog Louie. If you’ve ever seen the movie, The Boss Baby,  this was our Looch! For such a short time spent here on earth, he surely was the light to everyone in our family, Nicky or Kiki as Looch referred to him as, taught him how to dribble a full-size basketball at the age of 20 months. Anthony or Ant, as Looch would call him would love climbing the steps to Ants’ bedroom and spend hours with him just chilling. Milania and Giovanna or Yanya, which he called both. They were like his second mom and did everything with him, they were so sweet to him. Some of the nicknames we call looch were Lucky, Loochy (luci), Louyou, Boochybutt, and Lucan Megan.

Some of Looch’s favorite things to do were Running errands with mommy, being around his 20 cousins or loving aunts uncles grandparents and friends. He loved his babysitters. He loved feeding Louie by dropping his food on the floor. He loved sitting on his beanbag in the kitchen while watching movies like Secret Life of Pets and Boss Baby all while smelling his mommy’s buns baking in the oven. He loved music and dancing and loved to shake his little Heini. He loved playing anything with a ball and a stick, especially basketball. He was always dribbling and shooting. He had a great arm; he was a lefty. He loved his Paci, always had it in his mouth. His little teeth started to buck making him have a sweet lisp when he would say yesth. We loved his little teeth. He loved giving kisses, he had such great lips. His most prized possession was his lovey-bunny. He never left home or went to bed without it. We once tried to outsmart him and gave him a lookalike so we could wash it. We gave it to him; he sniffed the ears and tossed it. He then gave a look to us that said where’s the real one!?
 

On the day he left us for Heaven, Looch and Alana got to do some of their favorite things. First was a trip to Starbucks, then a green drop, car wash, and then a stroll down Goshen Trail. On this particular day, Alana got to show Looch a wish flower. They picked one and he blew it for the first time he didn’t want to stop. He kept saying more and mor.  Alana said she couldn’t pick them fast enough. We can only imagine all the wishes he made that day. Alana and I will cherish the video that she took of him making his wishes that day.
 

Every time I got to spend time with Looch, Alana would always ask if I would rather do these 1 million items she had listed on a scavenger hunt or watch Looch. I always chose to watch Looch. For me, Looch was my calm. He was our fifth child but would somehow each day take my hand and make me either sit with him to play or lay in our bed. We would have to watch a ball game of some sort. He would spin at least 10 times to get as close as possible to me and then proclaim, COZY! I would thank him for taking me to relax each day, sometimes even cry, while thanking him.
 

So how do we go on? We have asked that question over and over. There have been so many signs from our faith in God that we believe will carry us.
 

Someone left a prayer card in a pot that now holds the “Looch Tree” in front of our home. I’m going to share with you the reading from the prayer card.
 

Your cross. THE everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His Divine minds, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all merciful love of God. -- St. Francis de Sales. 

This is our belief. This is our trust in God. This is what has sent all these signs. Whether it be the flowers, gifts and food sent by our beautiful community, or the simple texts and messages, or the candlelight vigil and the rainbow that appeared, the Mary statue we just moved, the Angel statue we received, the Looch Tree with heart leaves, the Luciano’s Light Hat, the rosaries that were dropped off to us; one had shamrocks and other glows in the dark, the rainbows that have  been appearing to us all week, or the beautiful families that have reached out to us that have experienced this type of loss welcoming us to their club. It was truly spiritual, beautiful, and inspirational.
 

When we were asked where people could send contributions to, we thoughtfully decided that we wanted to also inspire and be the light like our family, friends, community and Looch have been to us. The Luciano’s Light Foundation will carry on his name and spirit, and will allow our Legion of Light to shine on someone during a dark time.

A dear family friend mailed me a Special Note that Luciano has been enrolled as a spiritual member of the Augustinians, Province of T. Thomas of Villanova. Attached with this note was this sermon from St Augustine of Hippo. I received this last night. 

The Passage:
 

​​​​Of necessity we must be sorrowful when those whom we love leave us in death. Although we know that they have not left us behind forever but only gone ahead of us, still when death seizes our loved ones, our loving hearts are saddened by death itself. Thus the apostle Paul does not tell us not to grieve but: “Not to grieve like those who are without hope.”​

​Let us grieve, therefore, over the necessity of losing our loved ones in death but with the hope of being reunited with them. If we are afflicted, we still find consolation. Our weakness weighs us down but faith bears us up. We sorrow over the human condition but find our healing in the divine promise.   Saint Augustine of Hippo – Sermon 172,1

If we can learn from the loss of Luciano, Roberto , please take this with you. 

Take the time to say I love you, take the time to play, take the time to mend a relationship, take time to breathe, be a good brother, be a good sister, be a good mom, be a good dad, be sincere, be kind, treat others as you wish to be treated. Take the time to brighten someone’s day.

When you hear the birds chirping or see a rainbow in the sky, or the brightest star shining, know that it’s our angel Luciano Roberto sending a sign; breathe and make a wish.
 

I will leave you with this my brothers and sisters, Family Is Everything, Cherish your friends and loved ones! Keep the Faith and Believe in God and all will be OK! Please Be the Light. 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
 

This song, Ave Maria is dedicated to our bright light, loving angel, Luciano, Roberto . We love you and will see you again.

 

Love, 

Daddy, Mommy, Nicky, Anthony, Milania, Giovanna, & Louie