Last Sunday was an odd day for my daughter and me. We attended a bridal shower and a funeral. Fortunately, there was no time conflict because, while neither of these people might have missed us, we sure didn’t want to miss our chance to say ‘welcome to the family’ and ‘goodbye, you wonderful woman.’
My nephew Michael (who is a surgeon, and every time I talk about him, I will mention this since he is the only M.D. in the family!) finally proposed to his girlfriend of 12 years. Yes, 12 years. I have no idea why he waited so long. I knew the first time I met her she was the one, but he took his time through college, medical school and residency before popping the question. I wonder if she threatened to pop him in the head if he didn’t hurry up already. Anyway, they are tying the knot in Charleston in September. Katie has been around my large, extended family for 12 long years. As my brother Mike often says, our family puts the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional. She’s had plenty of time to escape, but she didn’t, which means she chose not only Michael (did I mention he was a surgeon?), but the rest of us, too. A new happy beginning for a wonderful couple. Oh, and she is a nurse practitioner, so this hypochondriac feels like she hit the lotto!
After a quick costume change, my daughter and I headed to the funeral of Charlene Bry. Charlene, as many of you know, was the driving force behind Ladue News and an accomplished writer who started several successful businesses. She had tons of energy, and when she entered a room, the place was a little brighter. But I didn’t really know that person. I knew her as my dear friend Laurie’s mom and her daughter Bry’s grandmother. Bry and my daughter Tess were in preschool together, so that was my first introduction to the three generations of women. Laurie and I bonded nearly immediately because, not to offend Laurie, we both have a little bit of the devil in us. We sometimes laugh when we shouldn’t, and we snort when we laugh. But Charlene was like no other grandmother. She was beautiful and glamorous and dressed in the latest fashions. Baking cookies with her and Laurie resulted in not only fresh cookies, but also my purchase of cowboy boots before they were a trend because Charlene looked so hip in them while baking.
But what really made Charlene special was the way she looked at her kids and grandkids. She oozed love. When one of them spoke to her, she looked at them as if they were the only one in the world that mattered. Family was first, before any business or social obligation. On the occasions I was with her, she always wanted to hear what I was doing, talk to me about my column and ask what Tess was up to. I know she cared. Sure, I was just one of Laurie’s friends, but I just kept showing up in Laurie’s kitchen, so Charlene needed to know me, too. l will miss her for many reasons, but mostly for the love she had for her family and her capacity to express it each and every day. So on that weird Sunday, we said hello to the soonto- be Katie Fitzgerald and goodbye to Charlene Bry.
I get teary-eyed thinking about both situations, which means my heart is still working just fine.
Contact Patty at phannum@townandstyle.com.
