Today: my grandmother-in-law, Anne Miller Greene

A self-proclaimed “phenomenon,” Grandma Anne was a force of nature.  All 4 foot, 10 inches of her blew through life like a raging storm, toppling every barrier in her path.  When her Russian Jewish family relocated to America ahead of the Russian persecutions, there was no money for a piano to cultivate her prodigious talent.  Her solution: practice on a makeshift, cardboard keyboard on the kitchen table.  Too busy working as a musician and music teacher to marry, when she finally accepted Grandpa’s proposal at 37, it was with the condition that they would divorce in 6 months if she wasn’t happy.  Her unconventional and forward thinking views on family led her to accept a non-Jewish, WASP from Tennessee as her grandson’s wife with open arms and unconditional love.  As some others ostracized us from my husband’s family, Grandma handed Steve his grandpa’s wedding band to wear as his own.  Even after she became blind and deaf in her later years, magic flowed from her fingers on the piano and she danced as if every day was her last.