77 years ago – Thursday, November 21, 1946: An almost 14-year-old girl from a tiny village in Eastern Hungary arrived on a huge ship into the harbor of New York City. She was to be reunited with the mother she hadn’t seen since she was 3 years old and would meet her little brother and the father who left before she was born to come to America. She had left behind everything she had ever known, including her beloved paternal grandparents whom she was raised by, and her pet cat Matan. She didn’t speak a word of English and felt like a stranger in a strange land, including with her family. It would be at least a couple of years before she would feel like she belonged in her new adopted homeland. She still resides within the same 10-block radius that she came to in the Upper Eastside neighborhood of Yorkville. That young girl’s name was Rose Timar, and she is my amazing mother.
60 years ago – Thursday, November 21, 1963: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his wife, First Lady Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy, departed Washington D.C. on Air Force One for a 2-day, five-city tour of Texas. Just 3-1/2 months prior, the couple had suffered the loss of their 2-day old son Patrick, and Jackie was still deep in the grieving process. She had thought about changing her mind and not going on the trip, as she had been largely out of the public eye since the baby’s death, but the President insisted, as he wanted her with him…
40 years ago – Monday, November 21, 1983: What I recall about this day was that my father went to work all day but came home not feeling quite right. He thought he was coming down with a bad cold or the flu and prepared his typical self-care regimen: a cup of hot tea with honey, lemon – and a hefty shot of whiskey. He drank that and went to bed to “sweat it out” as was his wont. Dad never took over-the-counter medication.
I had a little less than 3 days left with him in my life…
Oddly Enough 