Friday, November 30, 2012
Evelyn was one of the strongest women I knew. She came from a generation that faced the Great Depression and World War II, a generation known for its ability to face adversity. She faced her challenges with a sense of grace, humor and independence.
As my mother-in-law, she welcomed me warmly into the family. She enjoyed sharing her recipes such as candy cane Christmas cookies, blueberry buckle, applesauce cake and her famous blonde brownies that would disappear in a flash at the Heft family picnics on the Fourth of July and Labor Day. She took a lot of care and pride in her cooking and in keeping her immaculate home. Food only comes out right, she said, if it is cooked with love.
Home meant a lot to her since she spent 10 years growing up in an institution. She had some good memories of her days spent at Newington Children's Hospital after she was diagnosed with polio. But home, for her meant more, perhaps, than it does for those who never missed out on being there.
I always admired the care she put into everything she did. Evelyn tended to the details of cooking wonderful meals, making her home warm and inviting, and wrapping carefully chosen gifts for others with style. She would select beautiful cards for our birthdays and Christmas with tender, caring sentiments. Evelyn was not one for flowery expressions in her speech, but I think she tried to express the depth of her feelings for others through those cards, underlining the words in the text that she wanted to emphasize.
Being her daughter-in-law has been a gift, to receive her care, humor and warmth, to witness her strength and independence. She has left us all with a beautiful legacy. The day she died an image came to my mind. Evelyn, free from polio, with new limbs, running through a field of wildflowers with a big grin on her face. You go girl. Go in peace and know we will love you forever.
