Submitted by Eleanor Rodio Furlong, Naples, Florida I’m a Jersey girl. I’m a farm girl. I’m an Italian American girl. I grew up on a family farm in a small town in rural southern New Jersey. I was the youngest of eight children born to Carlo and Frances Rodio. My mother was 41. Nick, my oldest brother, was 22, and Rita, my closest sibling in age, was 8 years old. Sandwiched between them were Nettie, Anna, Henry, Paul, and Florence. Looking back, I realize that on that hot, sunny August day, while the family was busy packing peaches in the back barn, I had just won a lottery. Growing up with seven siblings and aunts, uncles, and cousins that were too many to count left me feeling never alone, even when I was in a room by myself. Our home was a loving place—full of fun, laughter, and an abundance …