Our world was made different back in the day because this nanny played an important part in our lives and the lives of our children.
Cecile prepared a wonderful brunch recently for Michelle and Jason’s former Filipina nanny, Norlita (Lita for short). It was more of a reunion of sorts. Lita, was a live-in nanny who helped care for Jason when he was six and Michelle was just over one year old, the same age as our granddaughter, Lyla. Since Michelle hadn’t seen Lita since her college years and hadn’t met Lyla and Kyle, we decided to have this nostalgic get together. Regrettably, Jason was on a business cruise with his co-workers in the Bahamas. I know, I know, poor guy, but someone has to help keep the economy going,🙂 and while he was gone we got to dog-sit our beloved Daisy 💓 who was regally lounging on our sofa (photo).
Cecile's bill of fare was: a fresh fruit bowl, cured salmon (lox), red and green tomatoes, red onions with bagels and cream cheese, mini sausages and cheese blintzes (their Yiddish name), which are of Hungarian origin and similar to a crepe. There is a big difference between a babysitter and a nanny. A babysitter is someone you hire for a few hours so you can enjoy a date night out with your spouse. They are usually the daughter of a neighbor or friend. Lita was not a babysitter. She was a real, true blue, responsible, compassionate nanny with a heart full of love for our growing family, and we had a heart full of love for her, and still do.
When I was cutting back on my work hours as a podiatrist, and Michelle was a young girl, I grew to appreciate what it took for Cecile to manage a big household, care for two young kids, still cook most of the meals, and work limited hours at home doing the books for our foot clinic. Lita was a blessing. She helped pick up the slack. For the five years she worked for us, we treated her like a member of our extended family. We took her on vacation with us, we paid for her driving lessons, donated clothing each year to send back to her large family in the Philippines, were at her side when she proudly became a U.S. citizen and were at the courthouse when she got married.
Lita liked to be called Yaya, which in Tagalong—the language of central Luzon in the Philippine islands where she is from—means nursemaid, caregiver, and/or nanny. But to us, she was far more than that. She was and is a dear friend. As the years flew by, we would see her from time to time when she could break away from her long hours working as a health care aide at Good Samaritan Hospital. We would invite her over like we did this day. No matter how busy she was, she would always bring my favorite home-cooked thinly cut steak with sauteed peppers and onions marinated in lemon juice with a large helping of rice. This day was no different. Thank you, Lita, for your goodness, for being a great co-caregiver to our kids and for the invitation to visit you in Manilla someday, now that you are retired. We just may take you up-on it.🙂
