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    Go North, Young Lady: Reflections on Letting Go of the Past and Moving Forward
    Go North, Young Lady: Reflections on Letting Go of the Past and Moving Forward
    Go North, Young Lady: Reflections on Letting Go of the Past and Moving Forward
    Ebook73 pages49 minutes

    Go North, Young Lady: Reflections on Letting Go of the Past and Moving Forward

    By Nora Burch

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    About this ebook

    Christmas Day of 2005 was the last time four generations of author Nora Burchs family would gather at the same table for a Holiday dinner. By the same time the following year, there were two empty seats. In this memoir, Burch describes the loss of first her mother and then her husband and narrates how she came to terms with her grief.

    In Go North, Young Lady Burch tells how she returned to teaching and then made one of the most drastic decisions of her life. She left her home state of Louisiana, where she had lived all of her life, and relocated to Massachusetts in 2010. From information gathered in a journal, Burch shares a years worth of recollections as she adapted to her new home 1,000 miles away.

    From red beans and rice, jambalaya, and Who Dat to quahogs, cawfee milk, and Go Pats, Go North, Young Lady recounts culture shock, first impressions, and travels experienced by a Southern girl after relocating to the North.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateFeb 15, 2012
    ISBN9781462072200
    Go North, Young Lady: Reflections on Letting Go of the Past and Moving Forward
    Author

    Nora Burch

    Nora Burch was born and raised in Amite, Louisiana, and recently relocated to the Northeast. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana; earned a master’s degree in education; and has over thirty years of experience teaching. Burch has two grown children and three grandchildren. She now lives in western Massachusetts.

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      Book preview

      Go North, Young Lady - Nora Burch

      Contents

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      CHAPTER 1

      CHAPTER 2

      CHAPTER 3

      CHAPTER 4

      CHAPTER 5

      CONCLUSION

      Tips for Yankees Movin’ South

      Proper Yankee Talk

      PHOTOS

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      Thanks to Gail, who taught me that one is never too old to enjoy all that life has to offer.

      Special thanks to Steve, my best friend, for sharing a wealth of knowledge and giving me continued support in completing this journal.

      It’s not the holding on that makes you stronger, it’s the letting go.

      —Herman Basse

      From jambalaya, gumbo, and Who Dat

      To clam cakes, chowder, and go Pats

      Go North, Young Lady is the memoir of a southerner moving north to remake her life after enduring loss.

      *Colorful

      *Inspiring

      *Touch of romance

      INTRODUCTION

      On Christmas Day, 2005, our family of four generations gathered at my parents’ home for our traditional holiday celebration. Everyone was talking, laughing, and enjoying a wonderful turkey dinner that my mother had made. Little did I know that two members of the family would not be sitting in their places for Christmas dinner the next year.

      Although I was surrounded by family and friends who had sheltered me through difficult times, I felt very much alone. How long would I grieve? Could I ever be happy again? This journal reflects what I chose to do to remake my life after experiencing loss.

      CHAPTER 1

      A LITTLE VOICE INSIDE ME

      The week after Christmas 2005, my mother was unexpectedly hospitalized and diagnosed with multiple myeloma—a cancer of the bones. Two weeks later, she passed away. The sudden and unexpected loss of my mother was especially difficult. Some days, my tears wouldn’t stop flowing; all I wanted to do was stay in the house. If I did go somewhere, something often triggered a memory and I would tear up, which made it difficult to drive. I realized I was going through the grieving process and that, hopefully, things would become better with time. My dad appeared to be fine, but I knew he missed her dearly.

      Nine months later, I lost my husband. Bill had suffered with scleroderma, which is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin.

      For eighteen years, our lives revolved around visiting doctors and trying to find a treatment that would arrest the progression of the illness, but nothing seemed to work for any length of time. We belonged to the local Scleroderma Support Group in Slidell, Louisiana, and attended the monthly meetings. Bill’s condition was the most severe within the group. One of his dreams was to help raise awareness of this dreaded disease. He always said that if a famous celebrity was stricken by it, public awareness would grow. Hopefully, I can pursue his wish one day.

      I had retired from teaching after more than thirty years and assumed the role of caretaker, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day. Originally, we had planned to do some traveling when we both retired, but his deteriorating health put our plans on the back burner.

      As a devoted wife, I knew that my love and support were an important part of my husband’s well-being. As the disease gradually progressed, affecting his entire body, he began to withdraw. Stares from people in public were difficult for him. Socially, our outings were limited to visiting family or close friends. I had accepted the situation even though my husband told me that most women would have left under the circumstances. I laughed and responded by saying that I was not most women. I truly honored the wedding vows that we had taken thirty-five years ago. It never crossed my mind to leave.

      The days following Bill’s death were filled with visits from friends, family, and our grandchildren, Jaxson, Cooper, and Elly. Their laughter filled my heart and, if only for a short time, I was happy again. When our son Brad picked them up, the lonely feeling returned.

      I often stood in my long hallway and gazed at the pictures that hung along the walls. Of course, these triggered memories and filled my eyes with tears. At particularly difficult times, I wanted to take the photos down. Many days, I didn’t want to answer the phone or go to the front door when there

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