December: Anne and Lindsey

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to meet Anne, a resident at St. Cabrini's nursing home who I've never met before. I have been volunteering at this particular nursing home for years now, and I am pretty familiar with a majority of the residents, so it was surprising to see a new face among the crowd.

The visit began when the GG girls and I went to the 2nd floor solarium, where the residents watch TV and socialize together. We were asking among the group of residents who would like to get their hair, make-up and nails done, and many of the women were enthusiastic about us being there. Their enthusiasm made me realize this would be a positive and fun visit for my GG chapter.

Anne quickly waved me over when she heard that we were doing makeovers and she introduced herself with a clear voice. When I found out that her name was Anne, I immediately felt some sort of connection with her because my own mother's name is Anne, and I guess I have some sort of maternal connection with this name. Anyways, as I wheeled Anne over to the table where I would be doing her nails, she asked if I was from the area and I responded "yes". This kick-started our conversation because she told me she grew up in Yonkers, which is not to far from my town.

I guess Anne wanted to relate with me, so she began reminiscing through her high school years. She told me about her first relationship in which she loved a man. It was only about six months that they had been dating when her boyfriend was drafted into World War II. When Anne explained this, she became very solemn, and I could tell it was an emotional topic for her. I expected her to end the narrative at that point, however, she continued to explain her relationship with her lover while he was oversees. She said that she received letters from him every 3 weeks or so, and that those letters were responsible for her landing her first job as a secretary. Before her boyfriend was drafted, Anne wasn't interesting in writing and literature. However, through responding to her boyfriend's letters, she developed a love for expressing herself in words. Anne developed her vocabulary and voice through the dozens of letters she wrote.

Anne then explained how writing these letters got her that first job out of high school as a secretary. At her interview at a law firm, she showed her interviewer some of the letters she copied that she wrote to her boyfriend. The boss was impressed with her skills, and hired her. At the law firm, she took phone calls and organized the lawyers schedules.
This simple story that Anne told me really inspired me because she created such a positive situation for herself out of a sad situation. Her lover was shipped off for 2 years and she was unable to see him for all that time. However, his being away spurred her love for writing and encouraged her to go out and do something she loved to do- write. Anne has made such a lasting impact on me because I realized how much strength she must have had to do all this while her boyfriend was away. She probably thought about him day in and day out, but she pushed through those hard feelings to make a life for herself.
Anne told me this whole story while i was glossing her nails with clear nail polish. It is one of the greatest experiences I've had as a Glamour Gal.
Lindsay