There was a little bit of mist Sunday afternoon, unusual for May, as I walked over to Villa Romano for my year end blog party. I looked around the room as my friends and the people I interviewed this past year for www.inmyhoodsf.com arrived. I began to feel a little misty. Weekly I highlighted an Inner Sunset merchant or employee from May 2008 through this final posting, May, 2009.

“It’s my blog party and I’ll cry if I want to….”

Tony Accardo, owner, Villa Romano was a gracious and generous host. We had the backroom, a cozy covered back porch, which was both casual and elegant; white tablecloths and sky lights. Tony recently became the President of the Inner Sunset Merchant’s Association and he knows many of the shop owners as well as a wide array of his long time customers and some new to him and the neighborhood.

We feasted on fried mozzarella with a zesty tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms, pizza Bianca, antipasto and wine.

My friend Jean and her son Ben placed the blog stories around the room. Craig and Lyla, Media Solutions, printed my stories and pictures and with a touch of technology, made the colors pop. Jean mounted the stories in cobalt poster board and everyone’s’ story had a prominent place on the wall.

Many of the people I interviewed were San Francisco natives: Glenn, Diane, Lorenzo, Herb (who passed away this year at a ripe 106), Micky, Marinus, Jane Anne, Joe Pon, Ralph, Gilbert, and Robyn.

And other people came from many towns and cities around the United States and the world. They came from China, New Jersey (as I did and Craig and Christopher), Palestine, Greece, Colorado, Korea, South Dakota, Cape Verde Islands, Maryland, Burma, Oregon, Germany, Illinois, Japan, Hawaii, Turkey, Kansas, India, Pennsylvania, Scotland, Southern California, Italy and Syria. And now the Inner Sunset is the place they make their living and call this hood, as I do, home.

My friends Sue, Lloyd, their daughter Jillian were there before the party began with smiles and encouragement. My mother and sisters Kathleen, Regina, Sabina and niece Emily were at the back table and joined by my good friends Wave, Mitchell, Tom and Christopher.

Barbara, from the YES WE CAN fence, was the first to speak. Lots of words of appreciation and gratitude for bringing the neighborhood together. I thanked her for her appreciation and painting her fence with YES WE CAN, long before we knew that President Obama would be our 44^th President.

There were fresh floral bouquets.

More kindness emanated from Murai, Liling, Paul, Micky, Adah, Ann, Diane, Ursula, Gilbert and the Queen of Irving Street, Violet. When asked what her business was, someone shouted gleefully,

“Everybody’s business.”

My friend, Debbie, just recovering from the flu, stood up to tell me how proud she was. She knows where I began with this project. Her son, Justin took many of the early photographs and he taught me how to size a picture, make a folder and the relevance of WYSIWYG.

I had a great run and enjoyed my year interviewing, and sharing- sometimes lunch, dinner, other times coffee or a glass of wine, but always in the neighborhood. Many merchants chose to conduct the interview in between transactions and I obliged, turning my recorder off and on, after the cash register recorded the sale.

People shared intimate stories with me-What it’s like to be an Immigrant, a Native, a small business owner or an employee. One man told me, he knew he would not become a man anything like his father, a convicted murderer.

One woman told me about the pain she endured surrounded by her daughter’s anorexia and her customers concerns as her daughter withered and withered, and the relief she shared with her customers as her daughter regained her health. A silent tear slipped and she said,

“We almost lost her a few times.”

Another woman shared the long ago pain she felt with her husband’s infidelities but after more than a decade, she reunited with him, to raise their daughter.

I was pleased that Chris, told me one of the best things that ever happened to him,

“Getting my wife to marry me.”

More than one man told me that their greatest satisfaction was having children and being a father.

There were a few frustrations and disappointments. I wanted to interview, my Dry Cleaner, Manicurist, Boutique Owner. An unequivocal, No!

I had a scheduled interview with a European Deli Owner. I came at the designated time, with questions, a recorder and curiosity. He brushed me aside and decided to have coffee with a customer instead.

“Maybe come back another day.”

An Esthetician, agreed to meet me, and upon my arrival, decided to have her employee give her a facial, and covered with a thick mud she also said, perhaps, I could come back another day.

The frustrations were few. Most people were kind and liked to tell their story and I enjoyed listening and writing. I always tried to hear their voice, hold their integrity and share the uniqueness of each individual.

Wave got up to share her thoughts. Four years ago, only God knew she’d still be alive, still be living and at a party. She said I always liked people’s stories, I was good at telling their stories and I was building community.

The accolades took me by surprise.

The afternoon ended with a lit bit of sweetness. My sister Eileen sent three homemade rum cakes from her restaurant in St. Croix-Cheeseburger’s In Paradise.

This entire year held much sweetness. www.inmyhoodsf.com gave me joy and a profound sense of purpose.

Thank you all for taking this journey with me.

WITH GRACE...