Let me set the scene for you...The scene being a beautiful restaurant in New York City within Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan called the New Leaf Cafe. It is a hop, skip and a jump from the Cloisters and with its surrounding gardens and stunning views of the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge, it seems miles away from the urban jungle that is New York City. Yet beyond the stone structure that is the restaurant, beyond the terrace and the herb garden that the chef makes good use of are the streets of Washington Heights and the reality and cacophony that is NYC on any given day. Imagine an oasis from NYC and that is New Leaf.
There are not many places to host an afternoon garden party tea luncheon in NYC. Oh, there is Lady Mendl's Tea Salon at the Inn at Irving Place but they do not have a garden to accommodate 75 guests and musical performances and such. New Leaf was THE spot to make this happen as I envisioned friends and family in their summer garden party finery and hats!! I love hats and had mentioned in the invitation that hats were "preferred and welcome".
I have to say my friends did me proud. The gentlemen...some of them looked as if they had stepped right out of the pages of The Great Gatsby. The ladies....so pretty and feminine and elegant. I thank you all for embracing the spirit of the occasion and for adding to a day that started out pretty and just became more gorgeous with each guests arrival.
The following is a copy of the speech I shared with my friends and family during the occasion that was my 50th Birthday Celebration. I was born in New York City on 6 July 1961. Let there be no doubt. My birthday celebration had to take place where the adventure all started 50 years prior...right here in my hometown. And so it did...
A year ago, Mom and I sat right over there and had lunch , scouting out sites for an idea I had...to host an afternoon tea for my 50th that would have been challenging within the confines of my one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. Within 5 minutes of being here, we knew that this was the place to host this party for all of you...now we just had to convince the good and kind people here at New Leaf.
To Tiffany - our event coordinator and Scott – our executive chef and the staff at New Leaf, I thank you. I remember Tiffany listening as I shared my idea with her. Goodness only knows what was running through her mind... At any point she could have said, “No, that's not possible” or Scott could have said, “I don't do scones” but instead they said, “Well, we have never hosted an event like this but why not?” For all your help and for not turning me and my teapots away at the door...thank you.
I would like to now introduce you to...some of the people who I am honored to call friends but have also crossed into the realm of what I define as my family...
... my friend Chip who the very first time we met over a decade ago told me and I quote, “You and I are going to be real good friends”. And I thought, “I don't know you...maybe you are crazy and I should just back away slowly”. I dislike admitting that I was wrong...but Chip, you were right. We are real good friends. Chip asked me months ago how could he help and he asked me to share my vision about this day with him, I thought, “Oh no...now I need to get a vision”. It is fair to say that a year ago I was hard-pressed to explain all of this but I can now say, “Chip, THIS is the vision I was talking about”. To Chip and John James who never wavered in their commitment to our friendship and who have helped to make this day a melodious, harmonious and beautiful day...thank you. For gracing me with the gift of your friendship...and Chip for reminding me for months before today that I was going to turn 50...I thank you...I think. To John James, you quite simply have one of the most gifted voices I have had the good fortune to hear...the fact that such a voice is embodied in someone I call friend...how cool it that?
To Priscilla ...your beautiful artistic rendering of a tea party on your RSVP envelope actually inspired the flowers you see here today...so thank you. To Priscilla and Bob who open their home to us whenever we ask so that Mom can visit with her brother who is in an assisted living facility in Connecticut..you give me the gift of peace of mind knowing my Mom can visit with her brother. I know it is a source of comfort to her and therefore much appreciated by me. I am graced by your kindness and honored to call you friends.
To my friend Lisa...and my friend Ray...both who have known me since college days...and are still here by my side today. To Lisa, who I think was the first girl I ever met that I even wanted to be friends with with....probably because I thought there is one cool girl...and then realized I liked her because she was a lot like me. Ray who I met, quite frankly at the bottom of an escalator....he was critiquing women and what they were wearing...giving his opinions quite loudly...after one two many beers at a college mixer...he was tipsy but funny and right but I thought, “Someone really has to shut this guy down”. To our friendships that have withstood the test of time and challenges....I love you and thank you. To my friend Maryana, I owe you an eternal debt of gratitude because during one of our girl lunch get-togethers in NY...during one of the hundreds of conversations we've had about everything under the sun...one story you shared about a friend of yours.... ended up ensuring that a life was saved of one of my loved ones.
To my brother Clyde...do not be shocked if you can't quite see the family resemblance. :) Yes, I am an only child but what comes with that territory is the opportunity to create my own family. And make no mistake about it, I could not have selected a better brother. He has not only been by my side during the good times...and actually has been very instrumental in making some of those good times happen...ah, yes we will always have Paris and an amazing dining experience at the Eiffel Tower...yes, it is fair to say, he GAVE me Paris...but he has also never left my side during the moments that have tested my spirit, moments that felt so dark yet he reminded me there would be light. . For more reasons than I could possibly mention, I love you and I thank you .
I would be remiss if I did not mention three people who are not here today...well, let me rephrase that...they are not physically here but I am convinced that they are here in spirit... To our 97-year old cousin Helen, who passed away earlier this year and who right up until the last time I saw her was telling me what she planned to wear today...I hope you are sitting on a cloud looking down on all this and enjoying your tea and scones with all of us...
I also never could have imagined...and please know that this does not diminish the beauty and blessing of each and every one of you being here today...but I never could have imagined the physical absence of one of my best friends, Ron Moye, who passed away in January at the age of 50. If it is possible to dedicate my birthday to someone, I would like to dedicate my birthday to my friend Ron. I miss him everyday and there is no doubt in my mind that he is sitting right next to Helen on one of Heaven's clouds...and for those of you who knew Ron, I can just hear him saying, “Precious, that's all well and good but when are we going to get around to eating some cake?” :)
To my friend Scott, my guardian angel on Earth who for personal reasons could not be here today...know that you are here in every detail of this day and we never could have made this vision a reality without you. I love you exponentially and thank you infinitely.
To some of you who may be wondering, “Why did I invite you?” What made you stand out from other people...well, know that somewhere along the way, be it in a way great or small, something you said, something you did, impacted my spirit in a good way and if I was remiss in thanking you at the time? Well, I say thank you to you today.
And lastly but no less importantly, to the amazing woman who I have the honor of calling my Mom...who when she was 17 years of age, here in NYC, despite incredible odds that I still can not quite wrap my mind around...gave start to a most incredible gift . You, Mom....gave me possibility...the possibility of a life filled with all THIS. Only we know how long the road has been from the South Bronx where you had to hide our portable TV inside the stove before you left for work and I left for school because you figured...well, if we are going to be burglarized, the one place a theif would not look for a TV is inside a stove... to the heights of Machu Picchu in Peru to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. To my Mom who became a Girl Scout Troop Leader and would host troop meetings in the middle of the summer in her bedroom because it was the only room with air conditioning...we were poor and air conditioning throughout the whole apartment was not an option back then...who became a Troop Leader because I wanted to be a Girl Scout and there were no troops to join in the South Bronx back in the day ... gangs, yes but Girl Scout troops? Not quite. To my Mom who has loved me unconditionally despite some of my less than stellar antics.. Back in the day, I spent the last few dollars my Mom had until pay day on Entemann's Marshmellow Devil's Food Cake when I was sent to the corner store to get something practical like....dinner....To my Mom who always supported every idea great and small I had but drew the line accordingly when necessary. I remember as a teenager calling my Mom up at her job and asking her, “Mom, how do you make bacon?” She said, without missing a beat, “If you do not know how to make bacon by now, get the hell out of my kitchen”. Supportive, always...even when she probably was just shaking her head and wondering, “Did they switch babies on me in the hospital?” To you, I owe the biggest debt of gratitude and thanks...and yes, I also owe you regarding the Visa bill but we'll discuss that later.
I think that one of the reasons why I have been able to dream big and fly so high is because I have always had a safety net...and that safety net is the undying love and support of my Mom.
The gift of this moment is the best gift of all. ...I don't know if any of you know this but after I have foraged for dinner up at my Mom's place...or at the end of a given telephone conversation, I always say, “Love you”....and my Mom always says, “Love you more” and I say, “Love you morerer”..... The best gift of all...truly....is being able to say in this moment because I know how hard we have fought to get to this moment... “I love you morererer and thank you for the joy and continued possibility that is my life”.
I thank God, my lucky stars and each of you, be it in ways great or small for making my first 50 years beyond what I ever could have imagined. Please know that today is in one small way my way of saying thank you to each of you . Enjoy this day, embrace this moment. know I love you all very much and let there be no doubt, today is my 50th birthday so feel free to celebrate me :)
There are not many places to host an afternoon garden party tea luncheon in NYC. Oh, there is Lady Mendl's Tea Salon at the Inn at Irving Place but they do not have a garden to accommodate 75 guests and musical performances and such. New Leaf was THE spot to make this happen as I envisioned friends and family in their summer garden party finery and hats!! I love hats and had mentioned in the invitation that hats were "preferred and welcome".
I have to say my friends did me proud. The gentlemen...some of them looked as if they had stepped right out of the pages of The Great Gatsby. The ladies....so pretty and feminine and elegant. I thank you all for embracing the spirit of the occasion and for adding to a day that started out pretty and just became more gorgeous with each guests arrival.
The following is a copy of the speech I shared with my friends and family during the occasion that was my 50th Birthday Celebration. I was born in New York City on 6 July 1961. Let there be no doubt. My birthday celebration had to take place where the adventure all started 50 years prior...right here in my hometown. And so it did...
A year ago, Mom and I sat right over there and had lunch , scouting out sites for an idea I had...to host an afternoon tea for my 50th that would have been challenging within the confines of my one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. Within 5 minutes of being here, we knew that this was the place to host this party for all of you...now we just had to convince the good and kind people here at New Leaf.
To Tiffany - our event coordinator and Scott – our executive chef and the staff at New Leaf, I thank you. I remember Tiffany listening as I shared my idea with her. Goodness only knows what was running through her mind... At any point she could have said, “No, that's not possible” or Scott could have said, “I don't do scones” but instead they said, “Well, we have never hosted an event like this but why not?” For all your help and for not turning me and my teapots away at the door...thank you.
I would like to now introduce you to...some of the people who I am honored to call friends but have also crossed into the realm of what I define as my family...
... my friend Chip who the very first time we met over a decade ago told me and I quote, “You and I are going to be real good friends”. And I thought, “I don't know you...maybe you are crazy and I should just back away slowly”. I dislike admitting that I was wrong...but Chip, you were right. We are real good friends. Chip asked me months ago how could he help and he asked me to share my vision about this day with him, I thought, “Oh no...now I need to get a vision”. It is fair to say that a year ago I was hard-pressed to explain all of this but I can now say, “Chip, THIS is the vision I was talking about”. To Chip and John James who never wavered in their commitment to our friendship and who have helped to make this day a melodious, harmonious and beautiful day...thank you. For gracing me with the gift of your friendship...and Chip for reminding me for months before today that I was going to turn 50...I thank you...I think. To John James, you quite simply have one of the most gifted voices I have had the good fortune to hear...the fact that such a voice is embodied in someone I call friend...how cool it that?
To Priscilla ...your beautiful artistic rendering of a tea party on your RSVP envelope actually inspired the flowers you see here today...so thank you. To Priscilla and Bob who open their home to us whenever we ask so that Mom can visit with her brother who is in an assisted living facility in Connecticut..you give me the gift of peace of mind knowing my Mom can visit with her brother. I know it is a source of comfort to her and therefore much appreciated by me. I am graced by your kindness and honored to call you friends.
To my friend Lisa...and my friend Ray...both who have known me since college days...and are still here by my side today. To Lisa, who I think was the first girl I ever met that I even wanted to be friends with with....probably because I thought there is one cool girl...and then realized I liked her because she was a lot like me. Ray who I met, quite frankly at the bottom of an escalator....he was critiquing women and what they were wearing...giving his opinions quite loudly...after one two many beers at a college mixer...he was tipsy but funny and right but I thought, “Someone really has to shut this guy down”. To our friendships that have withstood the test of time and challenges....I love you and thank you. To my friend Maryana, I owe you an eternal debt of gratitude because during one of our girl lunch get-togethers in NY...during one of the hundreds of conversations we've had about everything under the sun...one story you shared about a friend of yours.... ended up ensuring that a life was saved of one of my loved ones.
To my brother Clyde...do not be shocked if you can't quite see the family resemblance. :) Yes, I am an only child but what comes with that territory is the opportunity to create my own family. And make no mistake about it, I could not have selected a better brother. He has not only been by my side during the good times...and actually has been very instrumental in making some of those good times happen...ah, yes we will always have Paris and an amazing dining experience at the Eiffel Tower...yes, it is fair to say, he GAVE me Paris...but he has also never left my side during the moments that have tested my spirit, moments that felt so dark yet he reminded me there would be light. . For more reasons than I could possibly mention, I love you and I thank you .
I would be remiss if I did not mention three people who are not here today...well, let me rephrase that...they are not physically here but I am convinced that they are here in spirit... To our 97-year old cousin Helen, who passed away earlier this year and who right up until the last time I saw her was telling me what she planned to wear today...I hope you are sitting on a cloud looking down on all this and enjoying your tea and scones with all of us...
I also never could have imagined...and please know that this does not diminish the beauty and blessing of each and every one of you being here today...but I never could have imagined the physical absence of one of my best friends, Ron Moye, who passed away in January at the age of 50. If it is possible to dedicate my birthday to someone, I would like to dedicate my birthday to my friend Ron. I miss him everyday and there is no doubt in my mind that he is sitting right next to Helen on one of Heaven's clouds...and for those of you who knew Ron, I can just hear him saying, “Precious, that's all well and good but when are we going to get around to eating some cake?” :)
To my friend Scott, my guardian angel on Earth who for personal reasons could not be here today...know that you are here in every detail of this day and we never could have made this vision a reality without you. I love you exponentially and thank you infinitely.
To some of you who may be wondering, “Why did I invite you?” What made you stand out from other people...well, know that somewhere along the way, be it in a way great or small, something you said, something you did, impacted my spirit in a good way and if I was remiss in thanking you at the time? Well, I say thank you to you today.
And lastly but no less importantly, to the amazing woman who I have the honor of calling my Mom...who when she was 17 years of age, here in NYC, despite incredible odds that I still can not quite wrap my mind around...gave start to a most incredible gift . You, Mom....gave me possibility...the possibility of a life filled with all THIS. Only we know how long the road has been from the South Bronx where you had to hide our portable TV inside the stove before you left for work and I left for school because you figured...well, if we are going to be burglarized, the one place a theif would not look for a TV is inside a stove... to the heights of Machu Picchu in Peru to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. To my Mom who became a Girl Scout Troop Leader and would host troop meetings in the middle of the summer in her bedroom because it was the only room with air conditioning...we were poor and air conditioning throughout the whole apartment was not an option back then...who became a Troop Leader because I wanted to be a Girl Scout and there were no troops to join in the South Bronx back in the day ... gangs, yes but Girl Scout troops? Not quite. To my Mom who has loved me unconditionally despite some of my less than stellar antics.. Back in the day, I spent the last few dollars my Mom had until pay day on Entemann's Marshmellow Devil's Food Cake when I was sent to the corner store to get something practical like....dinner....To my Mom who always supported every idea great and small I had but drew the line accordingly when necessary. I remember as a teenager calling my Mom up at her job and asking her, “Mom, how do you make bacon?” She said, without missing a beat, “If you do not know how to make bacon by now, get the hell out of my kitchen”. Supportive, always...even when she probably was just shaking her head and wondering, “Did they switch babies on me in the hospital?” To you, I owe the biggest debt of gratitude and thanks...and yes, I also owe you regarding the Visa bill but we'll discuss that later.
I think that one of the reasons why I have been able to dream big and fly so high is because I have always had a safety net...and that safety net is the undying love and support of my Mom.
The gift of this moment is the best gift of all. ...I don't know if any of you know this but after I have foraged for dinner up at my Mom's place...or at the end of a given telephone conversation, I always say, “Love you”....and my Mom always says, “Love you more” and I say, “Love you morerer”..... The best gift of all...truly....is being able to say in this moment because I know how hard we have fought to get to this moment... “I love you morererer and thank you for the joy and continued possibility that is my life”.
I thank God, my lucky stars and each of you, be it in ways great or small for making my first 50 years beyond what I ever could have imagined. Please know that today is in one small way my way of saying thank you to each of you . Enjoy this day, embrace this moment. know I love you all very much and let there be no doubt, today is my 50th birthday so feel free to celebrate me :)
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