"The best thing about aging is to be able to exhale," a beaming Loretta Burgess told author Dorothy Bailey, whose task at age 76 was to write a book about the beauty of women, the musings of women, all of whom were born in 1940 or before. Burgess graced the world in 1939.
"You're still on the journey, but the ride is smoother and the scenery is more beautiful — this season is truly the best part of the journey."
Now it's done, this book that Bailey conceptualized after her 4-year-old grandson asked her if she was indeed 100 years old.
"No, Ivan," she replied amused. So he asked if she was 50. And she told him no, as they were driving home from Lancaster, Pa.
She wondered, is there really a difference between 50 and 100? "Was I different from those Misters and Misses I remembered from when I was a child?"
Bailey was born in 1933. In 1940, elderweb.com shows that African American women had a life span of 55 years. She chose 1940 as her book's starting point.
Nearly 90 women have gathered in Upper Marlboro to be recognized and celebrated by their author, who has penned "In a Different Light: Reflections and Beauty of Wise Women of Color." The book is a series of verbal and photographic snapshots of longtime memories and future hopes.
The energy in the room sparkles as strangers meet strangers, each of whom is as beautiful as the last or the next. Lovingly dubbed "wisdom carriers," some are in hats. Some have cascades of silver hair brushing against their shoulders. Some have eyes that pick up the glow of humor. Some are juicy, others frilly. Some are coifed and precise.
"I wanted to celebrate who we are," says Bailey. "Especially as we age, we don't recognize our beauty, our wisdom, our brilliance. I wanted to share these absolutely incredible women. I also hope the book will be an inspiration to younger women, to let them see how older women have evolved."
All the women are residents of Maryland or have close ties to the state.
Lila Brighthaupt looks up from her page directly into your eyes. "I can remember my grandfather telling me about the day the slaves were freed," Brighthaupt related. Brighthaupt was born on Feb. 4, 1915. "He was out looking for his cap because if he went back without it, he would surely get a beating from the slave master."
A woman who had been sold to another owner called out his name, Brighthaupt said, and told him not to worry about the cap. "We's free! We's free!" she shouted. He ran into the arms of the woman, overjoyed. She was his mother.
In a different vein, Ollie Miller Phillips calls herself "a Jack Daniels drinking, poker playing Christian. I learned a long time ago to be thankful for what you have and don't worry about what you don't have," said Phillips, who was born in May 1910.
"I was so pleased to see so many women having the same experiences I had," says Eva Anderson, who is considered by many to be the earth mother of Columbia's dance movement. Anderson, who created the Eva Anderson Dancers more than 30 years ago, was born in 1933. "There were only two things that I really ever wanted — to dance and to marry the man that I married," she says in the book. She did both.
Author Dorothy Bailey will talk about how her book highlights the wisdom, beauty, strength and courage of 90 women, aged 70 and older, at the East Columbia 50+ Center Saturday, Feb. 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Some of the "wisdom carriers" may attend. Register online through the East Columbia Branch Library or call 410-313-7700.