Hi (mostly) new friends!
I'm excited to join this important venture of making February a better time, particularly this year. I'm choosing to be a bit selfish in my posting and will write about one of my personal heroes: my grandmother, Emily Coy "Mimi" Sullivan Greenberger. She died 6 years ago tomorrow. As one of my new favorite feel good shows - This is Us (watch it!)- states, she is always with me:
She modeled for me a life well lived. She was one of the most vivacious people I have ever known - a 7th grade English teacher, avid gardener, adventurer and athlete (she and my grandfather were biking around foreign countries well into their late 70s). She embodied the importance of staying engaged from a micro to macro level. A volunteer for Born to Read, she taught new low-income moms about the importance of literacy through reading to their newborns with them at the hospital. She also helped run campaigns for local officials to change politics in conservative, rural SC.
But as my aunt wrote in her obituary, perhaps her most important quality was her ability to connect with and listen to people, no matter their background - an important lesson I remind myself of often:
Despite all her accomplishments, perhaps Mimi’s most precious quality was her loving pastoral nature. She was outgoing and vivacious and put all she encountered at ease, but she was also a patient thoughtful listener. Whether it was a family member, friend or student, she could help you look at all sides of a problem, kindly raise concerns and help you find a solution without being judgmental or overbearing. Her keen insight and compassionate nature brought comfort, joy and wisdom to all around her. By showing respect for the opinion of the person she was talking to, she could help him or her open up to a different point of view and find a path to a solution for a difficult problem.
She and my grandfather worked at a summer camp in the mountains of NC (similar to Ruthie's beloved summer camp, except Protestant) so that my cousins and I could spend a month there each year. Below is a poem she composed while rowing down the lake at camp - about the beautiful Sourwood tree and so much more.
I'm excited to join this important venture of making February a better time, particularly this year. I'm choosing to be a bit selfish in my posting and will write about one of my personal heroes: my grandmother, Emily Coy "Mimi" Sullivan Greenberger. She died 6 years ago tomorrow. As one of my new favorite feel good shows - This is Us (watch it!)- states, she is always with me:
She modeled for me a life well lived. She was one of the most vivacious people I have ever known - a 7th grade English teacher, avid gardener, adventurer and athlete (she and my grandfather were biking around foreign countries well into their late 70s). She embodied the importance of staying engaged from a micro to macro level. A volunteer for Born to Read, she taught new low-income moms about the importance of literacy through reading to their newborns with them at the hospital. She also helped run campaigns for local officials to change politics in conservative, rural SC.
But as my aunt wrote in her obituary, perhaps her most important quality was her ability to connect with and listen to people, no matter their background - an important lesson I remind myself of often:
Despite all her accomplishments, perhaps Mimi’s most precious quality was her loving pastoral nature. She was outgoing and vivacious and put all she encountered at ease, but she was also a patient thoughtful listener. Whether it was a family member, friend or student, she could help you look at all sides of a problem, kindly raise concerns and help you find a solution without being judgmental or overbearing. Her keen insight and compassionate nature brought comfort, joy and wisdom to all around her. By showing respect for the opinion of the person she was talking to, she could help him or her open up to a different point of view and find a path to a solution for a difficult problem.
She and my grandfather worked at a summer camp in the mountains of NC (similar to Ruthie's beloved summer camp, except Protestant) so that my cousins and I could spend a month there each year. Below is a poem she composed while rowing down the lake at camp - about the beautiful Sourwood tree and so much more.
Lessons from the Sourwoods around Wolfe Lake
Emily Coy “Mimi” Greenberger
I would be a sourwood
Whose branches bend to brush the water,
Painting its face on the cool green lake.
I would have a shocking taste,
Not bland nor bitter,
But acerbic, acid, sparkling on the tongue when chewed.
I would blossom with white fingers,
Curving, lacy, delicate
Celebrating summer’s end with a woodland filigree.
But I would save my grandest show
For the autumn of my life
When with a burst of power, never fearing winter’s fate,
My leaves flame a deep, dark wine,
Still adorned with starry strings
That light the night.
Thanks for reading and for letting me share a little about one of my favorite, often missed people. Sending each of you love as you venture through February and through 2017.
Lucy
