MRS Esme Springer, nee Arthur, fondly referred to as ‘Mother Grannie’, celebrated her 102nd birthday on December 20 last, engendering a spirit of pride and joy in her home village of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara.Amid tremendous outpourings of love, appreciation and goodwill from family members, neighbours and dear friends, this calm and collected village elder was very mindful to thank God for bestowing on her His abundant blessings and loving favour.
‘Mother Grannie’ is a devout Christian, and is a member of the Plaisance Church of God. She expressed thanks to God for blessing her with health and long life, and for giving her caring family members in a home where love abounds.
Sharing this signally proud milestone with her were her daughter and caregiver, Hazel David, and the devoted family with whom she resides at 99 Prince William Street, Plaisance.
There was added joy when, later that day, ‘Mother Grannie’ was included in a group of 120 senior citizens who received Christmas hampers from the Plaisance Community Development Group, compliments of its U.S. arm.
At 102, ‘Mother Grannie’ is blessed with fairly good health; she moves about the house unaided, and has no eating peculiarities. She has a hearty appetite, and makes good of just about anything palatable. Aside from a recent visual impairment, Mother Grannie’s other faculties are intact; and today, even as diabetes and hypertension (nutrition-related non-communicable diseases) are gaining ground nationwide, Mother Grannie remains unaffected by either scourge.
In fact, Mother Grannie has a particular liking for black cake, and anytime is the ideal time for her to indulge her craving in this regard. Having done a lot of baking during her lifetime, Mother Grannie can never envision a Christmas without the tantalising presence of a good ole black cake. She regards herself as a proud expert on black cake preparation, and can still readily detect when an ingredient is lacking or is excessively present in a black cake recipe — her observation drawing reproof for the hapless chef.
Mother Grannie has an innate love for children, having mothered seven biologically, and having done a pretty good job of nurturing and bringing them up in the countryside community of Plaisance. Apart from giving them a sound primary education, she taught them life skills and values, foundations on which they were later able to build as they became adults.
DISAPPOINTED
Mother Grannie is disappointed at the way society has evolved. She regards the society as having degenerated from a collective of caring and sharing families to communities in which young people lack discipline and show disrespect for elders. She reflects on a time when “it took a village to raise a child,” and when people consciously “looked out for each other.” Children then dared not misbehave in public, or they could get a spanking from some concerned elderly neighbour who had witnessed their indiscipline, and were almost certain to get a second thrashing whenever that neighbour reported their misbehaviour to their parents.
Mother Grannie recalls that women had to know to “use their hands” to produce home-made things like knitting, embroidery, dressmaking, and preparing fine dishes. “But today they buying everything!” she lamented.
Mother Grannie’s 102nd birthday observance was not with a party this time around, but the December 20 activity sponsored by the Plaisance Community Development Group — headed by U.S.-based Claude Ince, with robust support from the Plaisance/ Sparendaam/Goedverwagting Development Association — saw 120 hampers containing food items, toiletries and clothing being distributed to seniors drawn from Plaisance, Sparendaam Goedverwagting and Better Hope. Shut-ins unable to make it out of their homes were visited by the organisers with hampers.
Commenting on the goodwill gesture, association secretary Rodwell Lewis told the Guyana Chronicle, “We recognised that people are paying little interest in the senior citizens when it comes to handing out gifts, and so most of the senior citizens are left out when gifts are distributed during the Christmas season. It was in this light that the association embarked on this annual goodwill gesture, which is now into its 10th year but is now being highlighted for the first time.”
The recipients of hampers on Mother Grannie’s birthday have all expressed profound gratitude to the donors for helping to make their Christmas bright.
By Shirley Thomas
