Un miembro del Club con una gran anécdota
12 de enero de 2022
El Sterling Silver Club de Renown se enorgullece de destacar la historia de uno de nuestros más de 9,000 miembros en cada temporada. Agradecemos a Judith por compartir su inspiradora historia y a todos nuestros miembros por llevar vidas sanas y felices que nos inspiran a todos.
Mother, grandmother and eventually great-grandmother is the expected title progression as families grow and babies have babies. “Grand” and “great” usually imply roles and responsibilities have shifted from daily child-rearing duties to those of a doting grandparent – that is, unless you decide to do it all over again.
A los 61 años, eso es exactamente lo que decidió hacer la miembro del Sterling Silver Club, Judith, cuando adoptó a cuatro de sus bisnietos. At the time, Alicia, Adrianna and Joey were all under five and Giancarlo, the youngest, was just a baby.
“At the adoption hearing, the judge was concerned how stressful it would be for me to raise four children in my late 70s and early 80s,” recalls Judith. “But I told him I had raised my own four children and then three grandchildren for a number of years and that it would be far more stressful for me to have my great-grandchildren separated from each other and me, possibly forever. I knew I could handle the stress of raising them no matter my age, but I couldn’t survive the stress of losing them.”
“That was when Giancarlo started getting fidgety,” she continues. “So I raised up his little shirt and blew a raspberry on his tummy which made him giggle and settle down. Seeing that, the judge told the recorder to “put that move in the record” and agreed I was capable of caring for my little ones.”
Years later, Judith has come to realize that her great-grandchildren also want to be there to care for her.
“Giancarlo always makes me smile,” says Judith. “Una vez durante una hospitalización, me despertaron a las 3 a.m. para hacerme unos análisis de sangre y lo encontré sentado al lado de mi cama observando el recuento de oxígeno; en ese momento él tenía 10 años”.
“La enfermera le preguntó por qué estaba despierto y él le respondió que la había oído decir que el recuento no debía bajar de 88, así que estaba vigilando para salvarme en caso de que bajara más de la cuenta”, explica Judith. “The nurse reassured him that she was also watching the count at her desk and he didn’t need to worry. Entonces Giancarlo la miró fijamente a los ojos y le dijo que lo despertara si el recuento bajaba más de 88, porque me amaba y no quería perderme”.
“He is still my sunshine,” Judith smiles. “And I have never regretted my decision.”
Work & Play
Durante 20 años, Judith trabajó en Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), primero como asistente administrativa para la academia policial antes de trasladarse a un puesto en la oficina del presidente. There she worked with the TMCC Foundation and on TMCC projects to raise capital funds for new buildings, off-site campuses, scholarships, college programs and more.
“It felt wonderful to be able to notify a student that they had received a scholarship or tell a department that they had received the funds to purchase needed equipment for their program,” recalls Judith.
For fun these days, Judith still enjoys doing something she did as a teenager: playing pool.
“My mother taught me to play pool in my dad’s pool room/teen hangout space in my early 20s and I’m just getting back into the game by taking lessons to help remind me what I was taught,” says Judith. “I grew up in a small, country town on the Ohio River and my mother could beat almost all of the boys in the county. I would love to be able to emulate her ability in the game.”
Judith also enjoys reading, watching Hallmark movies or Warriors basketball games, walking in nature, playing “competitive” shuffleboard with friends, all genres of music – and dancing! In fact, she’s currently taking dance lessons to learn a few new steps.
Always Good for a Laugh
“My great-grandchildren and I laugh a lot when I try to teach them the stroll, twist, mashed potato and old-fashioned, rock-‘n’-roll dancing,” admits Judith. “But we laugh even harder when they try to teach me their dance moves!”
Faith in What Matters
Faith is something Judith celebrates and embraces for herself and others.
“I truly believe that we are placed on earth exactly where God feels we are needed and that we are here to help each other through life, not to accumulate material goods for ourselves,” says Judith. “I feel deep satisfaction when I can help others either through just listening to them, advising them, helping them with specific needs or simply giving a smile to a stranger. To me, giving a smile or a helping hand to someone is like skipping a rock across the water – the ripples go on and on.”
Luego agrega: “Criar a mis bisnietos para que puedan tener vidas maravillosas llenas de amor y felicidad y cercanía a Dios es el mayor regalo que podría darles”.
Club Talk
So what does Judith appreciate most about being a member of the Sterling Silver Club? She says it’s the opportunity to just – talk.
“Disfruté completamente mi interacción inicial con el Club y otros miembros del Club en la cena-baile de los locos años veinte”, recuerda Judith. “Me senté en una mesa con las señoras más simpáticas, tuve excelentes conversaciones con adultos y bailé con uno de los instructores. Cuando uno cría a cuatro adolescentes que a veces parecen hablar un idioma totalmente diferente, es reconfortante conocer y hablar con otras personas de su edad”. Aquí se muestran imágenes de algunos de los eventos populares del Sterling Silver Club.
Judith finds club events that bring her joy. “I also like the cooking classes and recently went on a walking tour of Oxbow Park, which was very peaceful.”
What advice does Judith have to help other members live their best and fullest lives?
“Hace 50 años, en una húmeda mañana de diciembre —comienza Judith— un camión que venía por una curva en una carretera rural se deslizó hacia mí y esa fracción de segundo podría haber marcado toda la diferencia del mundo para mí. But God was with me and I survived, which no one expected.”
“You never know when that one second that could change everything might happen, so make the most of all of your seconds,” she advises. “Do what you love with those you love. My family means the world to me and I try to think about how my decisions will reflect on the memory I will leave behind for them.”
Luego, Judith añade reflexivamente: “Quiero que recuerden que los amaba de verdad y que siempre hice todo lo posible para que lo supieran”.