W.W.N.D. (What Would Nellie Do?)
How I think my grandmother would handle what's happening in America now.
This is Essay #118
I often write about the most influential woman in my life, my grandmother. Nellie Lee was a rock and my role model. Quiet, slightly sassy, and kind to every living thing. When she was 96 she finally let life go. And I miss her every day.
My grandmother, Nellie Lee, was born in very rural Missouri during World War I. Even her baby picture proves she was a true American.
She was 5 years old when women got the right to vote. And once she got that right, she never missed her chance to cast a ballot. A familiar face at Democrat Days, everyone loved her.
She lived through it all: the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the rise of the internet. Lindberg, Martin Luther King, Kennedy, Roe, Kent State.
She was Democrat. A STAUNCH Democrat. And a proud American.
She was witness to some of America’s most devastating moments, but really none like this one. And I’ve been thinking what Nellie Lee would do today.
If she was here, I imagine her sitting in her little senior housing apartment with Patch, the cat. Radio is tuned to a scratchy AM station for news and weather. Strong black coffee. The morning paper.
She would write a thoughtful letter to her congresspeople to explain how their behavior isn’t right and how she felt the country was on the wrong track… she would suggest both parties find a way to work together.
You see, kindness and common sense always guided her actions and views. She would never fall prey to current propaganda.
Because Nellie knew right from wrong.
This hung in her house for as long as I can remember. Now it hangs in mine.
So, if she were with us, she would go where she could make that difference.
She might drive to the nursing home to visit friends who haven’t been as fortunate to be so independent. (She drove her Buick till she was 95. 😳)
Her Methodist church will need treats after the service so she’ll bake. (She’s one of those Christians who walks the walk and talks the talk.)
Nellie will volunteer at the elementary school to help in the classroom... she adored little kids and they loved her, too.
She’ll crotchet a baby blanket to give to a new mother in town. Maybe she might stop by the library and pick up the books her sick friend wanted.
When her day is almost done, you might find her working on a Word Find game or a craft project…. “because it keeps my mind sharp.” ❤️
Probably because she grew up in the depression, she didn’t waste a thing, including her knowledge. She taught a Sunday School class. She was a talented seamstress, gave sewing classes to rural women, and was very active in the local 4-H Club. I found out later she was president of the Missouri Extension Homemakers, a statewide group 50,000 strong.
A happy leader.
Nellie Lee wasn’t a nihilist. I never once heard her say, “It won’t make any difference.” She instinctively understood that the collective power of individual actions can make ALL the difference.
One small act at a time… be a thankful person with good intentions.
Her magic powers, her strengths, were kindness and common sense.
Imagine if everyone could be a little more like Nellie.
I love old pictures like that. She sounds fabulous. If there were more Nellies in the world, or, at least in this country, we wouldn't be where we are right now. And if there were a LOT more Nellies in the world, we wouldn't even be worrying about the possibility.
#morenellies
That is a wonderful piece. I actually remembered to breathe as I was reading it. I think my blood pressure went down. I love her kindness, compassion, and her perseverance. Thank you, for sharing, as always.
From witnessing this theater, it is exactly what the malignant narcissistic abusive psychopath would do. They're good at getting others to feel their rage and getting them to act on it. I've been there. I thought JD was going to get on his knees and unzip his pants right in front of us. When you give a madman more power than he could ever imagine, thanks to Putin, and a pathological need for revenge on those foreign and domestic. What could go wrong? Everything.
It's a eat my gummies by the handful day. JFC!