Pot Luck
On an impulse I decided it was about time for me to write another blog, but what should I write about? Well I decided to upload a random photo and then write a blog about it. It turned out to my amusement that the photo was one of me.
BTW the painting in the background was painted by my mother Mary Alexander Linton McIlree, an artist and free spirit, whom I met for the first time when she was 100 years old. She lived until she was almost 104 years old and I spent the last year of her life living with her in her home in Dublin.
She taught me so much in that year - she started these lessons within minutes of our first meeting. She said "You have got to treat your body like an engine". She walked her talk and she was very fit and exercised both her mind and her body on a daily basis. She read a lot and her next door neighbour told me that if she was enjoying a book she would sometimes continue to read until 6 am the following morning.
I realised then that my learnaholic tendencies must have been in my genes. She was delighted to get her first email address when she was 103 years old and gave it to all her friends and visitors. No-one had told her about the internet until I appeared on the scene and as she did not think of herself as an old woman neither did I. She said that it would be a great opportunity for her to become famous and fulfil her burning ambition was to be more famous then Einstein whom she greatly admired.
She ate all the "superfoods" and was very aware of all the latest developments regarding longevity. She was a very charismatic person which is probably why she has taken over this blog that was supposed to be about me!
If you are wondering what all this has got to do with WA or any of our members then I must tell you that she was the proof that if you continue to keep an open mind all things are possible. So never ever ever tell yourself that you are too old to learn new skills.
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"...If you continue to keep an open mind all things are possible. So never ever ever tell yourself that you are too old to learn new skills." - Hillary Bassak.
Beautiful.
Thank you for sharing.
Paul from Canada.
Get in touch. PM probably best to void 'Spam.'
We have millions of members here with so many websites that can be used.
You are definitely quotable.
Nice to hear from you again.
Are all awesome?
Paul.
“Your education does not finish at school. Self-education is the best for Education.” Tom Short.
“Learning to earn is learning to live a quality lifestyle.” Tom Short.
“The way you think is of your choice and will make you master of a better future as you open your mind to a better way of life.” Tom Short.
Tom.
Wonderful story and your Mom was a great inspiration for us all, Hilary. Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. 🙂👍
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WOW. Too bad you couldn't have met her earlier. She sounds amazing. It's nice that you were able to live with her for a while and glean some of her wisdom.
~Debbi
Hi Debbie
I thought about that and how we could have shared so many of the interests we had in common. In my teens I had even bought some of the same books that she had. I found out so much about myself by meeting her and although she turned me away at first, she made me very happy when towards the end of her life she said "We are like 2 peas in a pod" We made the most of our year together and had a lot of fun. I wrote a book about our story and we made plans to turn it into a movie and go to Grafton Street in Dublin and buy a couple of stunning outfits to go to the premier. I am still not sure who was my father and I have a feeling that she was not 100% certain either. She once told me "Too much champagne and we forgot to take precautions" - that was her explanation for my arrival on the planet. I lived in quite a few different countries but she travelled all around the world V.I.P. style as the "travelling companion " to a very wealthy businessman and they lived in the most expensive mansion in Dublin (It was sold for 15 million euros). She was a person that no-one could ever dream up even in their wildest imagination and I was so proud that she was my mother.
It sounds like even though you had a short time with her, you may have had a closer relationship than some who spent a whole life time with their mother. I'm sure the book is VERY interesting.
Can I ask how you reconnected? I'm our family historian so these things interest me but I understand if you don't want to share.
~Debbi
The surname on my long birth certificate was McElree instead of McIlree but I managed to come across a message on Ancestry,com written by I believe my cousin but she later deleted in a panic. She said that she had a 98 year old aunt who was an artist living in Dublin and that this aunt was the black sheep of the family. I managed to find a church graveyard where my grandmother and aunt and uncle were buried and by one of the many amazing coincidences the warden of the church was there and offered to show me the grave. He said that he knew the family well and that one of my cousins was a doctor and lived in Missouri. He said that he had received an email from him to say that he was returning to Ireland for the first time in 51 years. I found his address and phone number on the internet. He was 68 years old at the time and still racing cars competitively. He sent me the first photograph that I had ever seen of my mother and her sister who was his mother. I sent him a photo of myself holding a horse at the Gap of Dungloe which is a famous tourist attraction in Ireland (a place I have only visited once) and by another incredible coincidence he sent me a photo of my mother, his mother and our grandmother riding horses at yes you've guessed it the same place. It gave me goose pimples - he had no way of knowing where that photo had been taken! So that is how I finally found my family.
That's amazing and so interesting. I've done a lot in Ancestry.com and have an extensive tree but nothing as interesting has shown up. I'd still like to prove my early ancestors were gypsies. 🤣 Thank you for sharing this.
~Debbi
p.s. I had a sign above my desk at work that said:
There are no such thing as coincidences, they are God's way of performing a miracle and choosing to remain anonymous.