Publisher's Synopsis
After growing up in a poor family
in Kefalonia, Greece and eventually
immigrating to the United States, Selma
Contos tells her story through the people
she knew and loved, and the landscape
that shaped her heart. After surviving the
Great Kefalonia Earthquake that rocked
her island on August 12, 1953, she shares
how her family not only survived, but
thrived, and eventually immigrated to
the United States for a better life.
Though Selma lived with uncertainty for
much of her early life, her grandparents,
particularly her Nona Maria, planted
seeds of spirituality in Selma that
connected her with an existence beyond
the chaos she knew. Through the invisible
force of divine love, Selma was able to
rest the pain and shame of her childhood
and find comfort and assurance in the
amazing journey that awaited her.
The survival mentality of the times,
coupled with a cultural belief system
stunted by isolation and poverty, left
few resources to help build Selma's selfworth. And yet, a spark inside her fueled
her desire to courageously embrace her
values. Through introspection, faith and
healing, she drew wisdom from her life
experiences which she shares with us
here.
As the waves never cease, awareness
and transformation is a slow and
continual process, one that has shaped
and rounded Selma like the churning
sea smooths a rough stone.
