My father's grandparents were born in Sicily. His father, though born in the US, grew up in Altofonte, a small town on the outskirts of Palermo, until he emigrated to NYC. I grew up in an Italian-American household, with a heavy leaning towards the American. Most of those who know me would say I am a well-educated, science-minded, individualistic feminist. I'm also the mother of two girls.

Since marrying a Sicilian in 2000, I’ve been spending a significant amount of time in Sicily with my in-laws during the summer months. It’s a rich yet often frustrating experience for me on many levels. With two small children that need me incessantly in a culture that is confusing, inefficient, chauvinistic and overbearing, I often feel like I can’t move - like a rock. Yet – to my children, I am precious, irreplaceable, seemingly luminous. It’s a complicated combination. I have to be still to watch them play nearby, still as I wait for them to wake from a nap, still while they sit on my lap, or still while I simply don’t have anywhere else to go because the schedule dictates it. I feel like a rock.

Yet this rock has feelings, anxieties, and emotional swings. I’m a hormone factory – chock full of the most incredible substances on the planet that control social interaction, trust, confidence, creativity, and contentment. Precious liquids living inside my rock solid presence. This I share with all the women around me.

The 12 recipients in this project have very different ages, professions, and attitudes. Yet all connect me to a world that is still hard for me to penetrate (my Italian is unsophisticated). Through them I am able to observe the complexities of human nature and the sheer power of life's force against all odds.

I'm sharing with you the little biographical tidbits I have gathered and intuitted over the last few years. I didn't interview them or research their life stories. I wanted a superficial snapshot of their lives - In the way that a gemstone catches the light for just a moment to catch your eye.