On October 28th, the Lady will celebrate her 123 dedication anniversary as a gift from the people of France. The Lady is the Statue of Liberty, located in New York City's Upper Bay. She has been viewed by up to 12 million immigrants, including my Irish mother, as they debarked onto Ellis Island, gateway to the new world.
Mother traveled from Ireland at the age of 18 to join her two preceding sisters. Two events of that trip remained etched in her memory. Number one was her view of the Lady that made her realize that, indeed, she was entering a new world and a new life.
Number two, was a marriage proposal! A young Englishman who claimed "love at first sight," promised that he would give her a cottage in the country with a white picket fence covered with red "roseses." Mother would have none of that, proclaiming first of all that she was not in love with him, and secondly, she couldn't possibly consider such a thing without the consent of her two sisters. The crestfallen suitor disappeared, never to resurface.
As a member of the Ellis Island Association, I had my mother's name etched into a memorial stone. So, dear reader, if you chance to visit Ellis Island, look for Agnes Jane Fisher's name and give her a pat for me.
More, later.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment