88 and going strong!

Nana is 88 years old today and was spry and so happy to see me when I walked in to meet her for lunch today. It was a delightful lunch with her. 88 years is a very long time. Just think of all that she has seen and experienced. She grew up near San Angelo, Texas, a place near and dear to my heart as we still have family living there. It was in San Angelo that she met her husband, Bill, married and had their only daughter, Dorothy - my mom. They moved to Texas City in 1949 - two years after "The Blast" at the request of her brother, Jerome. There were no computers or telephones or microwave ovens when she was growing up. Nana was the oldest daughter of 9 surviving children. The family worked as sharecroppers although it seems as though the Williams did pretty well for themselves, even back then. In 1969, Nana turned 50 and I remember watching the astronauts take "one giant leap for mankind" on the surface of the moon. She worked for (at that time) Houston Natural Gas, which later became Entex and then Enron. She states that Ken Lay used to come out to the warehouse where she worked and stop at her desk to talk. Gratefully, she lost nothing in that fiasco. She has lived through many losses: her adopted daughter, Darlene, her husband, Gene, Jerome, Brooks, Berman, Cleo, Homer and Marietta: her brothers and sisters. She lost her daughter, Dorothy, unexpectedly, 4 years ago. We continue to reel from that one, although differently than when we first lost her.

Two of Nana's brothers reached the age of 90: Uncle Berman and most recently, Uncle Wimpy. I wonder if she'll live to her 90th birthday? What will her remaining years be like. I can only hope that she lives well and contented. My sister and I try to provide this for her and some days are more challenging than others. Aging can be challenging and yet there are moments when we see the grace and joy that we remember from childhood. Happy Birthday, Nana.

Photo courtesy of Ramie Babcock Photography.