I can vividly remember those red, white and blue edged envelopes arriving at our home, having travelled from Bermuda, perhaps to England and finally New York. When those letters arrived it was like Christmas for my Mother. She would be excited to open and read the pages, penned by my great Granny. The letter was a gift in itself, having captured the essence of activities of the island, personal happenings, a word of encouragement, and often U.S. monetary notes with a message, "Buy something for the girls". One message seemed to stick, as I recall my Mother referring to it often. She would say "Granny always said 'Behind every cloud is a silver lining". As a child, I had no clue at the time, in what significance that message had. Yes, it was a message of hope, but there was more.
As I grew both in stature and world experiences, I've come to gain a better understanding of what Granny meant. Whatever her intentions were for my Mother, I have learned to apply Granny's words of wisdom in various situations.
One day while on a cruise throughout the Caribbean, I recall getting dressed for dinner. This was no ordinary dinner. We were celebrating our Pastor's Birthday (Pastor Melvin Preston) and Dinner at the Captain’s table on the Celebrity cruise liner. We had to don formal attire, for which I love to find occasions to do so. Showered, dressed and lastly arranging my hair to suit the gown, I leaned forward in the small, dimly lit bathroom quarters. The small space and dim lighting both could use improvement. Nonetheless, it was not mine for the fixing. I looked into the mirror, as I combed and put the finishing touches on my hairdo. I saw, what appeared to be, a piece of white thread at the front of my head. In this dimly lit bathroom, I attempted to remove the thread, but was not able. Leaning in a little closer, with eyes wide open, as if to brighten the space, I let out a scream of dismay. A gray hair!!!!!!!!!! Somehow in that small space of time, I managed to think of my Great Granny, who had a head full of soft, cotton-like hair and my Granny, who had a head full, of long, flowing gray hair, ever since I knew them both. And then there was my Mother, who had unnoticeable grays, barely any to mention: but I remember her plucking them should they show up conspicuously in the front of her head. Now here I was, with a gray, somehow connecting me more to these women of great stature, full life experiences and age much greater than myself. The only thought I had and question raised was, ‘Was I getting OLD?’ I hurriedly found myself following my Mother's practice, which I quickly learned (self-taught), how to pluck my first gray, or silver as I know call them.
Days passed, and eventually months and years. I learned to embrace those silver highlights and only pluck the stubborn ones that stood at noticeable attention, at the front of my head; can't see the ones in the back anyway. I've come to appreciate these silver linings as a blessing that God has allowed me to have many rich life experiences, see another day, and another year to have beautiful silver linings. There is always a brighter side to every situation. Now that's DA Art of Living!
Simply Lady Dana
September 2013 ©
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