"Nana"
My Nana - Mary Elizabeth "Lily" McCluskey - the only grandparent I ever knew - was born 120 years ago today in Workington, Cumberland, England.
120 years ago? That makes me sound almost impossibly ancient, doesn't it?
Well, you see, my mother was old enough to be a grandmother when I was born, and Nana was almost old enough to be a grandmother when she had my mom...
...so Nana was already 66 when I came into the world, which was quite elderly for someone of her generation. All my other grandparents were long gone by that time.
I feel very derelict in my duty for not writing about Nana sooner in this blog. She was the coolest lady! Dad was kindly but distant, Mom was overly stern and a tad neurotic, but Nana was solid as a rock and was always there for me when I needed love or support. Without her influence, I'm certain I would have turned out to be a distinctly different person, and probably not in a good way...
Neither Mother nor Father spoke freely about their younger years, but Nana was the exact opposite. In our house, she and I had adjoining bedrooms, and as we were both insomniacs, many a late night I ended up in the big easy chair beside Nana's bed, listening eagerly to her amazing stories about the long-ago. It's from her, I'm sure, that I developed my fascination for times past.
I was blessed to have this wonderful lady with me for the first 20 years of my life. I wish it could have been much longer. In some ways, I miss her more than my parents. Nana wasn't merely an elder relation - she was my confidante, and my friend. So here's to you, Lily of the Derwent Valley. I am so truly grateful you were my grandmother...