A few days before Emma Simmons turned 90, word reached me that the Plymouth woman was absolutely one of a kind.
The best of our family, friends and neighbors are always unique.
Each has personality and individual characteristics that distinguish a wonder woman or man from others who might be good but not great.
Emma is great, according to those closest to her, people who know from experience the goodness and strength that have helped guide and encourage them all their lives.
Even people who are not related to Emma call her “Gram.”
So, on this day after her birthday, I am hereby announcing that she’s my “Gram,” too.
Emma’s granddaughter Debbie Williams gave me permission.
I hope Emma doesn’t mind.
I’m two grandmas short so I need one.
And, as tough as I am, every now and then I need to know that there’s a wise older sage out there for me to count on – a gram to call my own. Every now and then I need to know that the grand examples of people from the past populate the present.
I will count on her, too.
I’ll draw from Emma’s lifetime of experience that brought her through hard times and worse. Life was never easy for the hard-working women of hard coal country, women who stood the test of time and sacrifices often as unsung heroines of our communities.
Plymouth was a tough town.
Plymouth is still a tough town and even at 90, Emma navigates the trials and tribulations of her life with a grace and dignity that can’t be beat.
Debbie comes from good stock and told me how she doesn’t know how she would have made it through some of her tough times without her Gram. Debbie also is a strong woman who fights daily for her share of what we all deserve in this society, a share that more and more is harder for hard-working women to achieve.
Gram is always there, waiting and willing to help her along the way.
After all these years, Debbie can close her eyes and see the changes that she and her Gram went through together, twists and turns along the road of life that are always easier to navigate with a tender, yet tenacious grandma by her side.
The best bonds are born of discovery when trust and love go hand in hand. Many of us are not lucky enough to discover that trust and love always go hand in hand.
I’m blessed with a wonderful wife who teaches, leads and loves, a woman who is always there for me.
I’m now doubly blessed to know that my new Gram is also there when I need her.
Yeah, I know. I haven’t even met her. But I will.
And she needs to know what she’s in for.
Debbie told me that her aunt is connected to the annual Plymouth Kielbasa Festival. And I just so happen to have a polka that I put together that’s called “Let’s Name The Baby Kielbasa.”
A little sausage told me that the good people of Plymouth are a great audience for my new tune and that they wouldn’t be opposed to my belting out the tune at this summer’s festival.
Maybe Gram can put in a good word for me.
If things go my way, I’ll be up on a small stage like Bobby Vinton, singing my heart out with a couple of dandy polka steps to boot.
On a perfect day, Gram will be laughing and clapping her hands along with the music.
But I don’t have to wait for my Plymouth kielbasa festival debut in order to sense the accomplishment of a job well done. From what I understand, Gram is as close as it gets to excellence and the purity of perfection. Her strength, commitment to family, loyalty to friends, humor and perseverance make for a mighty fine combination.
That’s why Debbie is so very, very proud to call her Gram.
Sue Henry
