Making Friends the Betty Way
While we are all doing our best to navigate these difficult times, in the spirit of mom’s positive and optimistic outlook on life, we hope that our posts will bring a smile to your face and brighten your day.
Our mom always had friends, lots of friends. It seemed like everyone who crossed paths with her became her friend in short order and many friendships endured for a lifetime. It was always a bit of a mystery to us how mom managed to strike up and maintain so many friendships. Little did we know that the cruise we took mom on after dad passed would provide us an up close and personal look at how to make friends the “Betty Way.”
Her first “target” was a couple from the United Kingdom. She took a seat beside them as we boarded the tender to take us ashore in Newport Rhode Island. By the time we reached land, Mom knew where they lived, how often they cruised, how long they had been married and their first names! Just another day in the life of a dedicated People Person……
Over the course of the cruise, we had several pleasant and often hilarious conversations with this lovely couple. At some point, they learned that we would be celebrating Mom’s birthday during the cruise. They made a point of remembering the date and on the day of, approached Mom with a birthday card and sang Happy Birthday! It was such a nice surprise for Mom and so appreciated by us.
A few days into the cruise, we were sitting at lunch and we noticed that Mom seemed to be smiling at someone, but there were several tables around us, so we couldn’t pinpoint exactly who her “target” was. In short order an elderly lady ( by elderly, we mean mid nineties, so much older than us!) approached and politely told us that she and her daughter had been speculating as to the relationship between the three of us. We weren’t sure whether to be pleased or upset! So we laughed, clarified that we were mother and daughters, and Mom took it from there…… once again we marvelled as she set about carrying the conversation and turning strangers into friends.
And once again, Mom’s birthday was acknowledged! These sweet ladies arranged a birthday dinner and gave each of us a gift of a mug with the cruise symbol on it. I mean, who does that?? It was another lovely surprise for Mom!
Everyone Loves Betty
Mom not only made friends among the cruise passengers. In fact, she was on a first name basis with several of the staff. By the end of the cruise, she pretty much knew our waiter’s full employment and family history. If memory serves us right, this fellow asked Mom to marry him! She politely declined.
The cruise was a lot of fun. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed each other’s company, but for sure watching Mom in action was a highlight. We have wonderful, enduring memories of spending a special time with Mom when she was the “star of the show” and got an in depth look at how to make friends the “Betty Way!”
We plan to publish a new post every Monday, so stayed tuned for our next one entitled “The Silverware Mystery.”
9 Comments
Alannah
Another wonderful piece – great work – I was just thinking how lovely for Betty to have such closeness with her daughters – you are priceless – keep going. She is probably up there smiling away.
Jamie McCaig
There are so many more stories like this, every time I had a friend around when Grandma was there she would instantly strike up a conversation. Grandma’s personality and outlook are needed now more than ever and I am sure she would be the first to make sure that all the front line workers had food/coffee, etc. The amazing ability to include everyone is a trait that Grandma always carried with her!
Kim O'Sullivan
It’s true❤️ Auntie Betty had a remarkable personality and just a way about her that put everyone at “ease”. She was indeed a shining star 🌟 and I can hear her giggling reading these memoirs along with us all. Thank you again penning these wonderful memoirs 💕
Al McCaig
I really enjoyed this post and laughed when I saw Betty “chatting” with Sir John A.MacDonald. We would often visit Harvey and Betty at Mariners Village. I have so many great memories there of wonderful family times. Betty and I really enjoyed swimming and their strata had an indoor swimming pool, hot tub and sauna. On one of my first visits there, Betty introduced me to a fellow resident “Gordon” and over the decades we became good friends enjoying our swims and catching up on family matters.
When Betty moved into the Maple residences, she made a point to introduce me to all of the residents and we had lots of laughs at happy hour, lunch, dinner and Anavets. Often “June” a friend of Betty’s would join us in Betty’s suite for a glass of Copper Moon red wine and great conversations.
Alissa McLester
Grandma provided a wonderful example of how to make and keep friendships, and every interaction she had with others was an opportunity for her to share her care and interest in people. Thanks for sharing these stories from your cruise that so beautifully illustrate her ability to connect with others and make friends wherever she went!
Elizabeth Sullivan
I love these stories!!! I can feel her presence through your words (you write beautifully). What a treat to see these pictures of you guys together. Thank you for making my day brighter! Xxxx
Bigsister
So glad you are enjoying the stories. We are having a great time doing the blog and it is so nice to know that others are finding it a meaningful memorial to grandma. I like to think she is smiling down on all of us.
Bruce Watson
To the family, thank you for creating this blog for Betty. Clearly a labour of love for this very remarkable women.
I met Betty and Harvey via a lifelong friendship with their son Randy which began some 50+ years ago. Betty was and is the rock and foundation upon which this remarkable family was built.
The values she has, the moral compass which guided her, her love of people, fun and travelling which she instilled in her family over so her many years live on in her children and her grandchildren.
In all the years I knew Betty, she never spoke ill of anyone, she was kind generous, believed in the good of people and a few times, when I needed someone to talk to she was always there.
The memories of this remarkable lady will not be diminished by the passage of time, this blog will keep her memory alive while her spirit and values will live on thru her loved ones.
Miss you Betty,
Bruce
Middlesister
So great to hear from you Bruce and thank you so much for your kind thoughts.! We’ve had a lot of fun creating the blog and hearing all the wonderful memories others have about mom. Stay tuned as there is lots more to come!