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“Mother’s Day” Remembering My “Rose” in Spanish Harlem 5-12-2023

Leola

·??????Although I lived in the Bronx many years ago, and I love to go the city that never sleeps and of course all those bright lights, there is nothing like Harlem.

·??????During my early adult years, I frequented Harlem, because I was enthused with the Apollo and the Wednesday Matinee Shows were so enjoyable. Small’s Paradise was another favorite place of mine.

·??????It was years later, after I was born again, the Lord orchestrated circumstances for Leola and me to meet. We bonded immediately and I became a niece to her. This awesome woman became one of the loves of my life. This is the unusual part, Leola lived in Harlem, and I resided in Greensboro, but we met in Orrville, Alabama. GOD DID IT!

·??????Later on, I began to visit her in Harlem and lodged at her place whenever there was something going on in the area, or whatever else I needed to be in New York for. Leola’s doors were always open wide to me, and we talked on the phone regularly for years.

·??????No more phone conversations because my “Rose” Leola which had been vibrant, began to droop little by little until the “Rose” drooped completely over and she was gone on February 6, 2023. No more Mother’s Day cards, no more Christmas and birthday cards, no phone conversations, no more staying at her place.

·??????Spanish Harlem will never be the same to me without my “Rose” Leola. Yet, when I hear the song “There is a Rose in Spanish Harlem,” it is a reminder of Leola whom I will always cherish.

A “Rose" that will never be forgotten ~ Betty A. Burnett