Who was Grandma Bach?

In this blog you will be seeing a lot of recipes from Grandma Bach. They all taste great. However, the fact that they came from Grandma Bach, my paternal grandmother, make them so much more special because they help me feel she is still here with us. She was a special lady. To illustrate this point, here is a commemorative speech I wrote about her in April 1999.

Janet Bach in 1929 with my Dad, Edwin James

Grandma Bach in the 1980s

Janet Bach
1904 –1991

I loved her not only for who she was,
But who I was when I was with her.
I loved her not only for what she made of herself, but what she made me.
I loved her because she had done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy.
She did this without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
She did it by being herself, an angel of the earth.
In the quiet of an afternoon when the dust motes dance in golden rays of dying sun I remember the magic that she spun. The magic is still powerful. It is always with me, but I feel it most when I remember her the way she was forty years ago. Sitting in the big, soft chairs -- so big my young legs could not even bend towards the floor -- sitting in the soft sunlight of the sitting room she dispensed the unconditional love, caring, wit and wisdom and an unrelenting zest for life. She made me feel special. She made me feel the magic of hope and possibilities.
Her zest for life was evident in everything she did. Her eyes would twinkle. Her laughter was hearty with the sound of crows cackling in the corn. She always sang or hummed, always out of tune, and always sweet music to my ears. When others would tell me to be quiet, she encouraged me to sing and hum, to celebrate life, although I too could never carry a tune.
Janet Bach born in 1904, was a woman before her time. Charismatic, caring, kind, compassionate, blended with a steely courage and strength of character she ‘did it all’ years before it was popular to do so. She was an educated woman, a nurse, and a mother. She also knew how to have fun. She was a wild young thing, engaged to three men at once and a party girl during Prohibition times and the Roaring Twenties. She had lots of experience to draw upon when dispensing advice because she lived her life to the fullest. She always encouraged me to "have fun while you can because you will need the memories!"
She held court with lots of witty, eccentric, wonderful friends from all walks of life. She was never concerned with rank or titles or riches. She believed in the richness of the spirit and of the human mind. She always said ‘pick your friends for what they are . . .. strong, reliable, true, imaginative, intelligent . . .’ not for who they are. Associate with those who challenge your mind and lighten your spirits, care not if they are socially acceptable. Don’t judge a person by how they look, look on the inside, the same, as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
She was a good listener. She carefully listened to problems both trivial and titanic and dispensed advice with wit and wisdom. Always follow the courage of your convictions. Follow your dreams. You CAN do it she would say. By her example, she taught me to be a good listener. Her words taught me to never give up.
Her strength of character carried her through the rough times too. She had four children. Although Janet was a nurse, and her was a husband a doctor, their youngest daughter contracted one the rampant illnesses of the time and died. I don’t think she ever forgave herself that she couldn’t save her. Many times there was a certain sadness lurking behind her laughing eyes. When my sister was an infant the doctors said that she would die. My parents gave up hope. Janet refused to listen, and took care of the weak, sickly baby round-the-clock until she turned the corner into a happy, healthy child.
Janet also fought an arduous battle with alcoholism. She was in and out of sanitariums over the years ‘to dry out’. Always positive, she eventually won the battle. She always said be brave, always go forward, no matter how hard it is. Never give up. The sweetest revenge is being successful when others tell you it is impossible.
Her magic is carried in my heart. I still seek her wise counsel even though she is no longer ‘of the earth.’ My goal in life is to grow up to be just like her. At 44, I am still trying to grow up to be just like her. A noble aspiration to become one of the angels of the earth.