Tour De Force

This story is part of Love For Our Elders’ celebration of National Share-A-Story Month. We encourage you to share your story with us this month by clicking here.

My Nana was a tour de force. Most knew her as “Bea”, but her grandkids fondly called her “Nana Banana”. She was one special lady, not only to her immediate family, but to all who were lucky enough to make her acquaintance. We were always close, and looking back, we share a lot of similarities – her name is also my middle name.

We were both early birds who woke up early in the morning to get going on all the things we wanted to accomplish. We both shared a flair for fashion and an unabashed love of shoes, although later in life hers became more of a love of sneakers while my love grew for heels. Dancing, music, and singing were important to us, although neither of us were impressively gifted with our vocal talents. This never deterred us from singing out loud whenever we were inspired to do so.

One area where our similarities diverged was our driving ability. I have never been more afraid to get in a moving vehicle than I was when my Nana was in the driver’s seat. Once I got my license and bought my first car, I was thankful that I could take her places myself and utilize the highway to get there without having to map out the back way.

Early in her life, my Nana had spent years taking ballet lessons, but from my earliest memories of her, she was probably one of the most uncoordinated people I have ever met. She was constantly tripping, kicking something, or bumping into things, which as a kid always left us in hysterics. Luckily, none of these encounters ever resulted in serious injury. She is also responsible for one of the most important family traditions in our family which we fondly call the “green jello mold”. Although one out of three people at any given holiday event do not care for it, the green jello mold must be prepared and served so that the tradition continues.

One of the things I admire most about my Nana was her optimism. I always remember her as happy and smiling, even though I know her life was not an easy one. She had lost her son early in his life, had a husband who suffered from Alzheimer’s and a daughter with special needs. She bore all this with such grace and optimism. Nana passed away many years ago, but I think of her all the time, especially when I find myself doing something that she would do.

Every time I see a cardinal at one of my bird feeders, I imagine that it is her stopping by to check in and say hello. She was an amazing woman and I was so lucky to have her in my life.

Suzanne is an engineer and manager with Verizon. She is married with a 17-year-old daughter named Aubree. She has three cats and a puppy named Dakota. Suzanne loves to garden, hike, read, cook and exercise.