95 Candles

 

Virginia (Gin) Mae Prentice

There were 95 candles waiting to be lit. One hundred + people sat at tables waiting to share a meal. Children milled about edging close to the cake and daring each other to touch it. Multiple ethnicities gathered together to celebrate with one small woman, Gin, Miss Gin, Grandma Gin.

Do you know how hard it is to light 95 candles so they are all lit at the same time? It's quite a feat, taking 3 people with power lighters working in sync to make sure they were all shining bright to light the face of the one for whom we all gathered.

Stories were swapped, told and retold of places and events but mostly of Gin's many interactions with people. This is one rare woman. Adopted when she was young, she is a Scot and true to form, blunt and candid. Somehow though she still manages to make you feel like one of her own. This is in itself a feat since she has never married and has no children by blood. She does however, have children by love - about a million of them! Those of us gathered to share her 95th birthday were a meager representation of all the children and adults she's loved on in her life.

Gin has fed, supported, prayed for and given money to hundreds of children in her 95 years on this planet. She led an effort to aid deaf children and raised thousands of dollars to purchase equipment and devices to make their lives better. She has a passion for the Native American children on a reservation near Reno and on her own provides parties with gifts for kindergarteners several times a year. People randomly give her money which she immediately puts away for supplies for the children. By July she's already purchased and filled Christmas stockings. By October she's nearly ready with filled Easter Baskets. Her basement is a wealth of goodies for those she loves.

My own children have benefitted from Gin's generosity. We've come late to Gin's acquaintance, only knowing her for about 8 years now but she's claimed us as family and knows all my kids, their spouses and has invested financially in our youngest's college education. For our second daughter who lives nearby, she hosts a lunch each month and treats E and me to lunch along with 2 of her friends. E gets her lunch free - I "pay" for mine by saying the blessing each month. At the end Gin will say, "you done good. I think we'll keep you."

Not lacking for a sense of humor, when I was bitten by a dog a few years ago, she gave me a Scottish Terrier figurine that said, "I'm Scottish and I don't bite." She made sure I knew she didn't buy it, she is a Scot, after all!

95 candles. What a tribute! But that wasn't the best of the tributes.

A woman stood and took the microphone to announce that as of this day, one of the community colleges has established a Virginia Prentice endowment fund to provide scholarships to needy students in perpetuity. All this in honor of the many others Gin has aided in their struggle to manage college funding.

Three hours and 95 candles went by all too quickly. We were all fading but not Gin, that smile remained on her face and she will read every card again and again as she continues to love on all those who cross her path. She's a rare woman. The real deal. With a sharp wit and a giant smile Gin is one of the most unassumingly truly great people I have ever known. I am blessed to be part of her world.