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Out of the Blue: A Suddenly Single Mother's Memoir of Love, Intuition, and Healing
Married to a sexy, funny, courageous FDNY firefighter, mother of their toddler sons, and fulfilling her career dreams as a registered nurse, VinnieCarla Agnello knew her family was fortunate, blessed.
That is, until the evening of September 11, 2001, when the phone call came from the firehouse: Joseph Agnello was missing. At the World Trade Center, he was a first responder, but even his best friend from Ladder 118 was not hopeful. Out of the blue, VinnieCarla's happy life was unraveling and she was powerless to stop it from happening.
Reflecting on her premonition from three weeks before, then the visitation from her dead father on September tenth, these events fomented the surreal drama that was now her life. Every day, a new test of her faith in God went beyond what she imagined possible. Was God listening to her prayers? How could God take a loving husband and wonderful father away? Why was any of this happening? The afterlife signs revealed in this story amaze the most hardened skeptics.
OUT OF THE BLUE captures the messy and the sublime meaning of redefining life in the wake of a traumatic loss. Told with honesty and humor, the author navigates the emotional minefields of grief, raising her sons alone, the 9/11 Compensation Fund, PTSD, the power of prayer, sex, struggles of going back to work, community support, depression, acceptance, and moving forward.
Drawing on love, intuition, and healing practices, the author gathers the remarkable threads of coincidence and weaves them into our collective cultural tapestry of 9/11, recovery, hope, and living life in the present moment: the only moment that matters.
That is, until the evening of September 11, 2001, when the phone call came from the firehouse: Joseph Agnello was missing. At the World Trade Center, he was a first responder, but even his best friend from Ladder 118 was not hopeful. Out of the blue, VinnieCarla's happy life was unraveling and she was powerless to stop it from happening.
Reflecting on her premonition from three weeks before, then the visitation from her dead father on September tenth, these events fomented the surreal drama that was now her life. Every day, a new test of her faith in God went beyond what she imagined possible. Was God listening to her prayers? How could God take a loving husband and wonderful father away? Why was any of this happening? The afterlife signs revealed in this story amaze the most hardened skeptics.
OUT OF THE BLUE captures the messy and the sublime meaning of redefining life in the wake of a traumatic loss. Told with honesty and humor, the author navigates the emotional minefields of grief, raising her sons alone, the 9/11 Compensation Fund, PTSD, the power of prayer, sex, struggles of going back to work, community support, depression, acceptance, and moving forward.
Drawing on love, intuition, and healing practices, the author gathers the remarkable threads of coincidence and weaves them into our collective cultural tapestry of 9/11, recovery, hope, and living life in the present moment: the only moment that matters.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 8, 2014
8 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
VinnieCarla Agnello
1 book2 followersVinnieCarla Agnello, is a first responder to people confronted with traumatic sudden loss. The widow of Lt. Joseph Agnello, an FDNY firefighter and first responder to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, she is the author of Out of the Blue: A Suddenly Single Mother’s Memoir of Love, Intuition, and Healing (Amore Press, 2014).
A registered nurse and certified health counselor, VinnieCarla grew up in Huntington, Long Island and attended South Huntington Union Free School District, Walt Whitman High School, and graduated with honors from Molloy College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. In addition, she attended the Integrative Institute of Nutrition and earned her certification as a health counselor.
VinnieCarla is a member of the American Nurse Association, The Holistic Nurse Association and the Women’s National Book Association.
She lives in New York City with her two sons and their two dogs, Lilly and Gus.
A registered nurse and certified health counselor, VinnieCarla grew up in Huntington, Long Island and attended South Huntington Union Free School District, Walt Whitman High School, and graduated with honors from Molloy College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. In addition, she attended the Integrative Institute of Nutrition and earned her certification as a health counselor.
VinnieCarla is a member of the American Nurse Association, The Holistic Nurse Association and the Women’s National Book Association.
She lives in New York City with her two sons and their two dogs, Lilly and Gus.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 11, 2021
I woke this morning, 9/11/21, thinking about VinnieCarla Agnello, the author of this book, and missing her husband, fire fighter Joey Agnello. This is bizarre because I never met the man, yet I feel his death on 9/11 like a hole in my heart.
This is because I edited this memoir. When you edit, you enter a writer's head/heart and the experience there becomes your own. Most of the time, for me, this is a very temporary thing. I finish a job and it evaporates. Not the case here. I miss Joey Agnello. He's still there. As is Vinnie.
This is a lovely memoir about that horrific day 20 years ago and VinnieCarla's subsequent journey.
This is because I edited this memoir. When you edit, you enter a writer's head/heart and the experience there becomes your own. Most of the time, for me, this is a very temporary thing. I finish a job and it evaporates. Not the case here. I miss Joey Agnello. He's still there. As is Vinnie.
This is a lovely memoir about that horrific day 20 years ago and VinnieCarla's subsequent journey.
November 3, 2014
As you read this, you're realizing this is a real story. This woman and her children exist. And you realize that to talk to her about her experiences in the book, you have no idea what to say. She's shared so much of herself and her life, and you're speechless, it's so raw and well put together despite the ordeal she explains.
Great read...I highly recommend it. I read it in 3 sessions, because once you get going, it's hard to put down.
Great read...I highly recommend it. I read it in 3 sessions, because once you get going, it's hard to put down.
October 8, 2015
A look inside the life of a 9/11 widow
This is the first 9/11 widow memoir I've read. I actually didn't realize it was about a widow, I thought it was about a mother becoming a single mother-not by becoming a widow. Either way, I enjoyed the book and can appreciate her husbands and all firefighters/policeman's lives lost during that fateful day.
This is the first 9/11 widow memoir I've read. I actually didn't realize it was about a widow, I thought it was about a mother becoming a single mother-not by becoming a widow. Either way, I enjoyed the book and can appreciate her husbands and all firefighters/policeman's lives lost during that fateful day.
September 27, 2016
I can't even put into words the heartache I feel for Vin and the boys. The one thing that remains true is that Vin prayed and she was grateful. Thank you for sharing your story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews