Grace under fire

Her work ethic was unparalleled. Money did not matter to her. She believed in work for work8217;s sake. It would be sacrilegious for her to have me clean up vessels. She really believed I was no good at it, and would push me away from the sink with a sneer on her face 8212; not that

I objected!

Her advice to a young widow with two daughters, who also worked in the colony, was comment enough on her fierce independence. 8220;Don8217;t marry again. We can live without men. Work and live with pride.8217;8217; When she lost her 61-year-old-year son recently, it was a decided shock. But the tough lady that she was, she was back at work after a couple of weeks.

It was only after she died that I learnt that the daughter she had doted upon was not her8217;s 8212; she had been born to her husband8217;s first wife. But she raised the girl as if she was her own, loved her as her own.

One does not have to be educated to be gracious, giving, honest and wise. Although unknown and unsung, she was a heroine still.