Late bloomers - a guest Mim memory from Mom

From Mom - well, from a 12/11/00 e-mail to her devoted circle of online friends & family....

LATE  BLOOMERS

The three Reynolds-Lockhart ladies - Mim, Elsa and myself - are each late bloomers.  I did not marry until 26 - practically an old maid back in 1936 - and did not have my first child until 28.  Mim did not get her bachelor's degree until she was in her late 30s, her Masters of Social Work & her first real very own apartment in her 40s.  Elsa married at 37 and had her first children in her mid-forties - - a multiple “birth” of 45 children (her beloved "adopted" ANC Class of 2010e).

Each, a late bloomer.  But bloom we finally did!  

I consider the personal changes I am experiencing as a late bloom, one after what I thought was a hard frost.
  

Mim went on to be recognized for her work with the NJ autistic organization with an official proclamation passed by the NJ State Legislature (very official looking, with lots of seals and such).   

Today, Elsa got to take a bow.  She received the President's Award for Excellence, presented each year by her employer, BISYS Financial Services.  What a surprise.   

It was actually presented on Friday night at the company's big holiday bash, but true to form John & Elsa were not there for the Big Announcement.  They had left the party early, heading over to the newly opened Barnes &  Noble in Plymouth Meeting, just ten minutes from the swank country club while the party was still in full swing.   


No one was more surprised than Elsa was at being honored out of over 1600 co-workers.  She keeps saying, "I was just doing my job."  Apparently, very well.  In addition to being recognized as one of The Best, she received a stunning star paperweight from Tiffany's and a hefty check.  

The paperweight was a lovely touch back to happy times with Mim up in New York City.  It was Mim who introduced us to Tiffany's and we went there often.  

It was delightful to wander the store, looking at all the wonders.  

If you ever get the chance to see the Christmas windows at Tiffany's, they are quite a treat, or at least they were back when we stood rapt in wonder on 5th Avenue.

  

Mim opened our eyes to the reality that a powder blue box with white silk ribbon from Tiffany was quite affordable.  They had beautiful wine glasses that were only $5.00 a stem.  Then there was the set of Santa Claus mugs in a BIG powder blue box, still tied with heavy white silk ribbon.  

Before Elsa's wedding, the three of us made a pilgrimage up to New York City so she could register at Tiffany's.  If you want an idea of what it was like, watch  Sleepless in Seattle - the bride-to-be and her "advisors" walk along picking things out, as a stylish salesperson walks a deferential few paces back, noting down the choices.   

I think the first time Mim went there was with Brooke, when Brooke was still in elementary school. Mim likes to tell the tale of checking out the diamond rings and necklaces, then asking the dapper gentleman behind the counter, "Now, where is the good stuff?"  

 

After we were done at Tiffany's, we would head across and down 5th Avenue to Rizzoli's, which was the most beautiful book store I have ever seen, even more than Sessler's.  The wood work and shelves and architecture was out of this world.  

I was sad when Rizzoli had to move to make way for a new building - although I did feel like I got a lovely bit of innocent revenge when the building inspectors, checking it out before demolition could begin, found a Louis Tiffany or a Lalique glass in the facade and the architects had to go back to the drawing board because the preservation codes would not permit them to move it outside of its original setting, let alone destroy it.

We have come a long way since they destroyed the magnificent Penn Station to build Madison Square Gardens.  

Architects forced to redesign a building in order to preserve a pane of glass - amazing.

My goodness, here I meant to be writing about daughters and late bloomers and I end up in NYC! 

What I set out to say, way back when, is that we three Reynolds-Lockhart ladies are all late bloomers, but my what a lovely bloom it is.