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Ruby Tuesday, Birthday Edition! April 20, 2009

Posted by littlebangtheory in Ruby Tuesday!.
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This weekend I had the great privilege of attending my Great Aunt Bella’s birthday party:

birthday cake!

Yep, she did it – hung in there for a century!  And she’s still beautiful, with her Angel’s heart shining through:

Bella St. Sauveur

Can you begin to imagine the changes this woman has seen?  Being born into a world of horse-drawn wagons and dirt roads, where mail crawled across the continent by train (at 2 cents a pop!)  Where the Modern Miracle of the Telegraph had shrunk the world, where radios were magical and televisions existed only in the dreams of madmen.

She was a child during World War I, a beautiful young woman through the Great Depression, a hard working seamstress praying for the safe return of her nephews during the dark days of World War II.  She watched in disbelief as a man first walked on the moon, cried when John F. Kennedy was shot, cared for her elderly mother throughout most of the ’60s and well into the ’70s (and whose 100th birthday celebration I attended in 1969!)  She’s outlived the corded telephone, analog television and the Soviet Union…

And through it all, she’s managed to attend Catholic Mass most days (as did her Mom, ’till she was this same age.)

God bless this sweet woman, with her easy smile and her kind words for all.

Oh, and Auntie…  see if you can get your little sister (Rita, left, a mere girl of 94) to lighten up a bit…

two sisters

I asked Aunt Rita if we’d be seeing her here in six years, and her reply was full-on snarled back at me (think Dick Cheney in drag):

“Nope!  Not me!  This world is rotten, rotten, I tell you,  and I’m sick of it!

My obvious discomfort wrung the only “smile” of the day out of her:

Aunt Rita Smiles, sort-of...

Oh well.

See a short video of my Great Aunt Bella on the local evening news here.

Happy Birthday, Gurrrl!

And a big thanks to Mary over at Work of the Poet for hosting this Ruby Tuesday meme!

Comments»

1. Ivon - April 21, 2009

Well done! I hope I can live to be 100 (plus more). Thanks for sharing.

2. Bobbie - April 21, 2009

Two beautiful ladies!

A very happy birthday, Aunt Bella!

And what a fabulously beautiful cake! Whoever did that one is to be congratulated.

It was a little frightening to read your summary of the things she has seen. I remember most of them myself. The scary thing is that I remember the earliest ones (most of them) so clearly, but can’t remember what I did yesterday.

Both of these women are lovely. May they keep enjoying life for a good long while. – You too, Aunt Rita. I DO know how you feel sometimes, but keep on keeping on.

3. DrillerAA - April 21, 2009

This will probably be the best Ruby Tuesday post I will come across.
Lovely photos of a lovely lady. Happy RT.

4. sherry - April 21, 2009

oh what a lovely way to start my day!

thanks.

5. Paul in ABQ - April 21, 2009

A beautiful cake superseded by a beautiful lady! Birthday blessings to Aunt Bella (and joy to Aunt Rita too)!

6. floreta - April 21, 2009

great portraits!! wow, it would be great to be a centaurian (is that what they’re called?)

7. Pagan Sphinx - April 21, 2009

Oh, thank you for the smiles and the greatest crack-up of the day for me! Since I’ve met both these ladies on occasion over the years, it makes it especially poignant and humorous for me!

That photo of Aunt Rita and your write-up were perfect! Aunt Bella is truly lovely and how those two such different women have stood by each other through so much just goes to show you the power of love and family.

And Bella reminds me of your beautiful Mom…which brings a tear of joy to my eye. I hope our Girls see this!

All the love,
Gina

8. dianne - April 21, 2009

I have to agree! best Ruby post
Bella is beautiful! she shines!!

9. littlebangtheory - April 21, 2009

You’re all very right-on here. Bella is an angel incarnate, and Rita is, well, Rita. Her matriarchal gnarliness makes me chuckle, even if she doesn’t see what’s so funny (it’s like being related to the Hecklers on The Muppet Show!)

I hope to see them both again.

And Floreta, thanks. I think they’re called “centenarians” at 100.

I’nnat right, Peeps?

10. kkryno - April 24, 2009

Oh’ they are so wonderful!

It’s so amazing that two siblings can be raised in the same family during the same era, yet be so different!

Huzzah to individualism!

11. kkryno - April 24, 2009

That should have been an “Oh, they are so wonderful!”

Damn brain!

12. littlebangtheory - April 24, 2009

Those darned commas, gettin’ uppity on ya! 😉

Great to hear from you, Vikki, and yes, they are wonderful!


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