Other writings by Cheryl Elferis
"Affectionately, Toots—My Mother's Journal"
Edna Louise Craig was born July 12, 1920 in Harlem. She was the eldest of three children born to Jamaican immigrants. When she was six, her parents purchased a brownstone on Greene Avenue in Brooklyn, where she lived for the next 56 years.
At an early age, she showed extraordinary musical aptitude and became a skilled classical pianist and organist. Edna met the love of her life, John Antonio, while attending a British boarding school in Trelawny, Jamaica. Their courtship developed during six years of correspondence when Edna returned to the United States after graduation. In 1944, she and John were finally reunited in New York and married.
I was blessed to be her daughter. We were very close. She called me Missy; I called her Toots. She had such interesting life stories to tell, and when she was nearing eighty years old I asked her to write it all down in a journal.
Affectionately, Toots is a compilation of material taken from two journals, a diary from earlier years, plus lots of letters and handwritten notes of love and encouragement she wrote all through her life. I have put them together, filled in some missing pieces with memories and commentary of my own, and have added family photos throughout.
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Blog: Path To Pura Vida
Just before our move to Costa Rica in 2016, I decided to chronicle our journey. Every so often, I would post a blog, explaining some aspect of our daily life. Adjusting to a new culture, new towns, new friends, learning Spanish, dealing with a terrible bureaucracy, discovering new "critters"...all the components of trying to settle down in a different country. Written with mostly a humorous outlook, the blogs give an insight to life in Costa Rica, as we struggled to adapt to our new home. "Pura Vida" is the motto of Costa Rica—literally, meaning "pure life." It's meant to convey a feeling of relaxation, not stressing over every little thing. Coming from the rat-race of New York City, we certainly appreciated that idea, and we were eager to embark on this new path, despite the many hurdles along the way.
After Gary's death, I struggled to write any posts, feeling like I couldn't sign my name without his attached. But eventually, I was able to resume writing, and I enjoy enlightening my friends and subscribers to all the ups and downs of life in Costa Rica.