Foodie Lit
Geraldine Brown Giomblanco's Geraldina and the Compass Rose
“My grandmother was my guide, my navigator, like in the first chapter—the man in the airport, ‘Your grandmother has a message for you,’ I took it to heart,” author Geraldine Brown Giomblanco told me.
Geraldine encountered countless guides, spirits and signs in her life to show her where she should go, her grandmother the first and most important among them. “She wasn’t the type to let something like death stop her from playing a role in her family.” Geraldine doesn’t always listen, acts counter to her faith and encountered many ups and downs in life. She doesn’t meet her soul mate until she is 50, yet the author presents a warm, adventurous and ultimately optimistic view of relationships, whether family, friends or romances.
Working successfully in marketing for over 30 years, Geraldine was not afraid of the unknown and moved quickly up the professional ladder. She followed her gut in romance as well as business, not giving up. “Shed the anger, shed the guilt, shed whatever may be holding you back. Open your heart, and see what happens,” she shared with me.
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Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Finalist Categories: Inspirational, Romance and Inspirational Non-Fiction
Family means a great deal to Geraldine. She offers this advice, especially in the face of so much dissolution of the nuclear family in today’s society. “I’ve observed people give up quickly, and with family, you need to have patience and a substantial commitment and devotion to love one another as best you can. And not give up… Loving oneself is the primary function of this love because you are part of the family. And the choices one makes affects the family. Shed the anger, shed the guilt, shed whatever may be holding you back. Open your heart and see what happens.”
Geraldine’s religious framework does not prevent her from connecting with individuals from other faiths. She writes of a friend with the same name: “Gerri was raised Jewish and I was Catholic but the important thing was we were both spiritual. We were soul sisters.” Geraldine feels comfortable on the mystical level, seeing blessings in the everyday. That is just the way she lives her life.
Geraldine’ happiness and outreach to others, even in the darker times of her life, draws others to her, developed a successful career which ultimately leads her to Mark, her husband. She searches for light coming to her in many forms, a person, a place, a thing, a thought. And that is what makes her story so appealing and so resonating. It’s no wonder that Geraldine and the Compass Rose is being made into a movie!
Geraldine told me that the “Compass Rose” is a symbol of navigation. “My grandmother was my guide, my navigator, like in the first chapter—the man in the airport, ‘Your grandmother has a message for you.’ I took it to heart.”
Geraldine’s memoir is filled with signs and symbols, both religious and personal. Angels guide her safely through life. You’ll find yourself routing for Geraldine.
Geraldine and Mark love Italian food and the excellent bread that accompanies these delicious meals. Try my Rustic Italian Bread with Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts. Buon appetito!