NANNY

In this photo my Nanny is about 36 years old. She is with my Aunt Alice walking along some avenue in Newark. By this time she is a young widow with two young daughters. The year is about 1939. I love everything about this photo and wonder who took this picture and why. It is such a great shot of a mom on an ordinary day. How I wish I had thought to ask my grandmother more about her life and what she thought of being 69 years old, the age I am now. At 69 she was still taking the train to Newark everyday to her job as a telephone operator. At 69 she had endured so many tragic losses. At 69 she embraced each day with inner joy and energy. At 69 she went with me to Spain and Portugal for two weeks, walking the tours dressed to the nines in stockings and heels, and dancing at the clubs in the evenings. She was truly an amazing woman. I miss her every day. Don't get me wrong. I had an equally phenomenal mother, but my grandmother was more sympatico with me when it came to issues of the heart. She knew just the right thing to say, how much to help and how much to stand back. When I reflect upon her life as a way to tap in to her wisdom and perseverance, I can almost hear her say to me, "Adele, you have to just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep on going. There is no other choice." Okay, Nan, I can do the hard stuff too. I can pull up those bootstraps just like you did so many times.