Grandma Moses Day

Anna Moses
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By Diane Forrest

"Now that I am ninety-five years old, looking back over the years, I have seen many changes taking place; so many inventions have been made. Things now go faster. In olden times things were not so rushed. I think people were more content, more satisfied with life than they are today. You don't hear nearly as much laughter and shouting as you did in my day, and what was fun for us wouldn't be fun now.... In this age I don't think people are as happy, they are worried. They're too anxious to get ahead of their neighbors, they are striving and striving to get something better. I do think in a way that they have too much now. We did with much less."

This is a quote from Anna Mary Roberson Moses in 1954.  It is the same thing that can be said today.  It’s funny that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Anna Moses was born in September, 1860.  She lived a long life, passing away in December 1960.  One of the most important things about her life is that when she reached the age of 76, she began a new life, a career that would splash her across the pages of Time magazine and make her known throughout the world.

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Anna enjoyed embroidery work.  She would sit for hours and work on needle point and even sell some of her pieces.  However, as she got older, her hands became arthritic, and she could no longer enjoy her pastime.  It was at that time she decided to pick up a brush and some paint and continue her artistic flair.  She sold her masterpieces for under 10 dollars at a local drug store until she was "discovered".  In 1939 her paintings were being sold worldwide, and in 1946 some were even being used for Christmas cards.  On her 100th birthday in 1960, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller declared September 7th Grandma Moses Day. Grandma Moses died at the age of 101 on December 13, 1960. She created over 1000 painting during her career, at least 25 of which were painted after she was 100.

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Anna Moses, also known as Grandma Moses, set the bar at achieving goals at any age.  She is an example and inspiration to us and shows us that life doesn’t end at a certain age.  You can do anything you set your mind to, and if something doesn't work out, you can try something new.

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Today is Grandma Moses Day, a day to celebrate life and achievements.  So whatever age you are today, find something you are passionate about and get started!  It's never too late, and you are not too old!!

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