Okay, this is another of those Point of Personal Privilege things. I’ve written in the past of Elizabeth Fernando the wonderful woman was the caregiver for my folks later in their lives. Most recently, that was here when she finally received her U.S. citizenship in 2016. I always have called Elizabeth an angel on earth, and that comes pretty close. I won’t go into all the reasons, since I did that pretty extensively before. But she was one of the most honest, honorable, decent, hardworking, loyal, responsible supportive, utterly lovely people it’s been my great fortune to ever know. I’d periodically mention to her husband Emmanuel (a pretty terrific guy himself…) that “You do know, I’m sure, that you’re the luckiest man on earth?” And that’s all I would have to say, and he knew what I was referring to. And always answer, “Yes, I know.” It's not just that having Elizabeth there with my folks meant I never had to worry for a second about it, it’s that she’s just made my own life better, being who she is. That’s why we’ve all stayed in touch even after my dad passed away six years ago. Still, though, I’ll give first position by far to my mother because she (who didn’t have any daughters) and Elizabeth (who lost her mother earlier in life) had a relationship that – they both said – had overtones of moather-daughter. I should not that this isn’t just my opinion about how great Elizabeth is. Before coming to the United States, she left her home in Sri Lanka and got a job working for the Danish Ambassador to Italy – sort of as a homekeeper and cook for the family at the Embassy. (It’s still a toss-up if she makes better Sri Lankan cuisine or Italian food…) And when he was recalled from Italy to work back home in Denmark, the Ambassador asked Elizabeth to move back there with them. But that wasn’t what she wanted to do, and she (and Emmanuel) moved to the United States. The Ambassador was disappointed, but it’s our gain. So, the point is, if Elizabeth was good enough for the Danish Ambassador, then my adoration of her is on solid ground. I mention all that because, in addition to working so wonderfully and joyously as a caregiver to my folks, that was only a part-time job. Her regular job was working at the Jewel Food Stores, a major chain in Chicago, for 27 years, where she anchored the deli counter. She’d get up bizarrely early in the morning, like 4 AM, though often earlier if it was a day she opened the supermarket. (That’s how much Jewel Food Stores trusted her.) It helped, too, that she often received the Employee of the Month Award – enough times that I thought they should have renamed it in her honor. When Jewel decided to move Elizabeth from the store she had been working at for years in the Plaza del Lago to another several miles away in Wilmette…many of her customers actually gave up the Plaza store and followed her. The point of all this is that Elizabeth finally decided to retire from the Jewel after 27 years, and her last day was on Sunday. The store threw a pretty big party for her, though that was only after they’d tried to keep her and not retire. And so, she deserves this note of honor. (Elizabeth and just some of her customers who followed her from one Jewel store to another, claiming to be her grandkids, no doubt to get better service.) Rather than write more myself here (again, as I said before, you can always read the article I link to above to get more stories), I’m going to turn the floor over to Elizabeth and Emmanuel’s children: Emel, Virginia and Sneaky. (Sorry, I mean Roshani.) They wrote a piece for the family party, and with Emmanuel’s permission, I offer it here. We have waited a very long time for this day to come. To see a day where you are able to relax and have some time for yourself. To see a day where you don’t have to worry about sleeping early because you have to wake up at 4 am. You have showed us the true meaning of sacrifice.
4 Comments
Emel
8/2/2022 10:36:02 am
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Reply
Robert Elisberg
8/2/2022 11:18:33 am
Emel, thanks for your note -- but in fairness, half the words were from that wonderful letter.
Reply
Jon
8/3/2022 10:22:16 am
What a great, heartwarming story — as well as a life so well lived. Thank God she emigrated prior to the political climate the US of A has suffered through! This is why I welcome these “immigrants” into the USA and support their becoming US Citizens!
Reply
Robert Elisberg
8/3/2022 05:33:04 pm
Jon, thanks for your note. Any country in the world would be lucky to have Elizabeth Fernando living here -- in fact, her entire family . If countries had free agency, there should be a bidding war, The family has been here a long time, It's over 25 years, but look many years to get citizenship. Elizabeth was the last one to get it -- one of the whimsies of bureaucracy -- only about six years ago. Just under the wire before Trump got in, so thank goodness for that. They had their green cards, but wanted full citizenship and worked long and hard for it.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
Categories
All
|
© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2024
|