3 minute read
WCA, friends and me — we are family
By Rhonda Brazina
Can you imagine being bound and gagged and driven to a new home 1,181 miles away?
I was leaving my lifetime home for the unknown. That’s what happened to me in 2009. Well, not quite that dramatic, but it was quite traumatic!
I had lived the first five decades of my life in Columbus, Ohio. I believed my life was more perfect than an episode of “The Brady Bunch.” When Steve Brazina moved to Ohio from Philadelphia, my life was even better for 30-some years, until he decided that he found a new love — Naples, Florida. We spent years vacationing there and he always dreamed of living in Florida.
Way back, when he asked for my hand in marriage, I immediately said, “Yes.” When he asked me to move to Naples, I said, “No way!” Heated negotiations lasted a full year with bribes offered. Finally, the deal was sealed with a written declaration stating that after a one-year trial, he would return me to my beloved Columbus if I was not completely satisfied! (Call it a moneyback guarantee!)
I was fortunate to have made one good friend during my visits to Florida, Sandy Levine. She became my link to life in Naples. I was busy every day. A wise person once said, “If you have one good friend, you will be fine in your new home.”
We joined WCA. What did I know? It sounded like a good idea and cost less than dinner in a Fifth Avenue restaurant. I signed up for every luncheon offered, a Spanish class with Paulette, a Foodie group, a New Yorker group (even though I was from Ohio), canasta, and more. I can still remember the New Member Coffee and the friendly newcomers I met. I was even inspired to host a coffee at my house! Currently, I am especially enjoying the WCA Creative Writing group led by volunteer Iris Shur. I am appreciative of the opportunity it provides to practice my writing skills.
I had found my new home and I loved my new life in Naples. The diverse group of women that I met in WCA provided a network of very close friendships as well as cadre of acquaintances. I run into WCA women everywhere I go. Since my husband passed away in 2022, these friends have been here to help me through the greatest loss of my life. No, I am not going back to Ohio — other than for visits. Naples is now my home, and I cherish the friends I have found here. They are my family now. WCA, friends and me. We are family.
