What follows is a short story from Rosemary’s past. After talking with her, I have taken our discussion and turned it into a series of small stories highlighting the incredible life that she has led. Direct quotes from our discussion are highlighted in quotation marks. All else is a retelling written by yours truly.
In the year or two before the last big move from England to America, Rosemary’s family was spread out far across the UK. There was one in Aberdeen, one in Durham, one in Manchester, one in Reading, and the rest in Bedford.
It was through Rosemary’s child in Reading that she got to meet Princess Diana, although it wasn’t a particularly exciting meeting. Rosemary’s daughter studied at a college on Reading that trained girls on how to look after children. It was a rather well-respected college and some of the girls even got into the employment of the royal family, looking after several new members of the royal family.
Well, because of the connections this school had with the royal family, one day it was announced that Princess Diana would visit the school and open up the new extension that they had been building. It was a big deal to have such an esteemed guest open the new extension of the school and an excitement spread through the school. Even Rosemary and her children were excited. But in true Rosemary fashion she spoke little of the event, saying only that it was “fun to go there and see Princess Diana.”
What? No description of the event or what it was like seeing her?
No, just that she was there. Another interesting moment among a lifetime of interesting moments. For Rosemary, life was about the moments shared with friends and family. It was about experiences, deep and meaningful. Now, perhaps if Rosemary and Princess Diana had sat down to tea and became best friends then maybe she would have more to say. But let’s be honest, if that were the case I would have mentioned it much earlier in these stories.
Stay tuned for more stories from the life of Rosemary. Please note: these stories will not necessarily hold any chronological grounding. They are designed as snippets of understanding into the life of Rosemary and while some will hold chronology, others may not.