NINETY

Today Providence Maria Ferrante Grasso turned 90. 

"It's just a number," she says although acknowledging an unfathomable one.

In 1931, her first cries bellowed through an apartment on Mott Street,

heard by her older sister, Francis.

Weighing in at 11 pounds this could not have been an easy birth for her mother. 

 

At 99 pounds she is a spitfire;

 blessed with a sound mind, strong body and love.

Her friends far outnumber her years.

The phone rang all day, birthday cards lined the mantel and bright bouquets were delivered.

Today we celebrated with some of her dearest friends; 

women who have been in her life for sixty plus years.

I too am blessed to still have my mother to call on the phone and hold tight.

She is an inspiration.  

I'm in awe of her ability to cope with life's curve balls

like the pandemic which kept her relatively isolated for sixteen months.

She continues to evolve, grow and change when need be.

Her goal is to live to 100, as long as she is able to maintain independence

and a desirable quality of life.

May her birthday wish come true.