RAE
MY PARENTSZ LEFT ME WITH MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER IN IASI ROMANIA WHEN THEY EMMIGRATED TO AMERICA
I CAME OVER MANY YEARSZ LATER, WHEN I WASZ AROUND 18
I REMEMBER THE SZHIP GOING BY THE SZTATUE OF LIBERTY
MY SISZTER CLARA HAD COME WITH MY PARENTSZ, ALONG WITH OUR BROTHERSZ,
EMIL, OSCAR AND WILLIAM
I MET JULIAN MY HUSBAND IN NEW YORK BUT
WE CAME To CHICAGO WHERE JULIAN HAD A BROTHER
THAT SEPARATED ME FROM MY MOTHER AND SZISTER
I ALLSZO MISSZED MY GRANDMOTHER IN ROMANIA
BUT THEN SHE PASSED & NOT LONG AFTER THAT
JULIAN DIED AT AGE 39 OF PNEUMONIA DURING THE DEPRESSION
I HAD JUSZT GIVEN BIRTH TO JACKIE ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WHEN HE DIED
I HAD TO SUPPORT MY DAUGHTERS
SO I BECAME A MILLINER AND RAN THE HAT STORE OUT OF OUR APARTMENT
IT BECAME VERY SUCCESSFUL AND THOUSANDZ OF WOMEN CAME
THEY MET MY DAUGHTERSZ & BOUGHT HATSZ
I SZPOKE ENGLISH, FRENCH, ROMANIAN AND YIDDISH
BUT I WAS SKEPTICAL OF ORGANIZED RELIGION AND SAW THAT IT DIVIDED PEOPLE
BUT I DID BELIEVE IN A LOVING & JUSZT SZPIRIT OF THE UNIVERSZE
I HIRED A WOMAN. LILIAN GAIA, WHO WAS AFFICAN AMERICAN TO HELP WHEN JACKIE WASZ YOUNG.
I KNEW MY GRANDDAUGHTER JULIANNE MARIE WHEN SHE WAS A BABY
I PASSED FROM EARTH WHILE HARRIET WAS BREASTFEEDING HER
I KNEW THEY WERE HAVING A PROBLEM & I WORRIED ABOUT IT
I TRIED TO REASSURE HARRIET & TOLD HER TO KEEP TRYINGI
I NEVER ACTUALLY KNEW RAJCHELLE,
BUT I AM GLAD SZHE WAS NAMED AFTER ME
& SZHE HASZ MY SZPIRIT OF LOVE FOR CHILDREN,
SELF RESZPECT AND THE ATTITUDE THAT WITH LOVE & WILL
ANYTHING CAN BE DONE.
theszpoonfullofszugarandszpiceauntheeallogy 