A Good Enough Daughter
As a professional in the field of aging, Sara had seen it all—until her own mother broke her hip at the age of 88 and became profoundly confused, unable to live in her own home. Join Sara on her journey through the strangeness that is dementia while trying to make sense of it all and finding humor in the details. [Editor's note: Sara no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]
Happy Birthday, Mom
Her spirit's still strong
My mother, Reva (Nemoff) Myers, was born October 4, 1918, in Detroit, Michigan, of then-recent Russian immigrants. That year, Mae West was a scandal on Broadway, and the War to End All Wars ended after four years of intense horror. In August of 1918, influenza exploded into a worldwide pandemic that killed over 25 million people in six months. In Russia, murder and starvation were widespread, and pogroms—manufactured riots directed against Jews—were in full force. Demonstrating the strength of the human spirit despite the hardships of the time, people still fell in love, married, and had children.
Mary and Joseph Nemoff emigrated from Russia to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1917. Just married and without children, Mary and Joseph made their way from Winnipeg to Detroit, where they moved into Aunt Mima’s large, rambling house situated in a lively, crowded Jewish neighborhood. My Uncle Harry was born soon after the move to Detroit, and Reva was born soon after Harry. Three more children came along after Reva.
Growing up, Reva was the rebellious one. Typical of many first-generation Americans of the time, she was eager to become as “American” as possible and shed the old European values she grew up with.
She read books voraciously and developed strong opinions that she was not shy about expressing. She was athletic and participated on her school track team, winning an all-city track meet for the 50-yard dash.
Reva was a good student in school, where she developed an enduring desire to travel, which she did extensively most of her life. Soon after graduating high school, Reva moved to New York with a couple of girlfriends. She got a job in a camera store, while the two other gals went to work at one of the large department stores. They had arrived: three 20-something, single women, working to support themselves, sharing an apartment in New York City—Sex and the City, à la 1940.
Throughout WW II, Reva volunteered at USO clubs in Detroit and New York. Millions of American women who had brothers and husbands in the war volunteered at the USO. Reva said that talking with soldiers on leave helped her feel closer to her brothers who were fighting in Europe. Reva maintained her support to veterans for decades after the war.
While living in New York during WW II, Reva met Johnny Myers, my father. They married, had three children and divorced after 25 years. It was not a happy marriage and probably not the best 25 years of Reva’s life.
When I think of my mother, I like to think of that young, smart, strong, brave, red-headed woman living in New York, having the time of her life, a woman of undaunted spirit and vitality. When I look at her now, that’s who I 
see, in spite of the obvious. I can tell, the spirit is still strong.
I love you, Mom. Happy birthday.
By Sara Myers
A Good Enough Daughter Blog
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