PRESIDENT THE MOST HONOURABLE Dame Sandra Mason got the chance to visit centenarian Meta Naomi Sealy yesterday, one year after the ‘birthday girl’ hit the century mark.
Sealy turned 101 yesterday, and the reason why she and Dame Sandra did not meet last year was because the centenarian was cruising on the high seas.
“She is a centenarian with a difference. She cheated me of the opportunity to meet her last year, but I forgive her as she was cruising.
May you live to see another 100 so I can come back and visit you again,” the President said amusingly at Sealy’s Jessamine Avenue, Bayville, St Michael home.
Son Winston Sealy said they were on a Norwegian Cruise Line and made stops in Belize, St Thomas (US Virgin Islands), Cayman Islands, Dominica, St Lucia, Puerto Rico and Florida, adding they also visited relatives in Atlanta. The soft-spoken centenarian was a woman of few words yesterday, although her grandson-in-law, spoken word artist and writer Adrian Green, said he knew otherwise.
“I really don’t know what to say,” Sealy told Dame Sandra. “I don’t talk a lot. Anyway, I’m glad to see you because I never had this yet. It’s a privilege, so thanks for coming.”
Grace of God
After walking Dame Sandra outside, further impressing the President, Sealy told the media she felt special.
She said her long life was due to the grace of God and hoped to “live a little longer”.
Winston said his mother was born in Belleplaine, St Andrew, and had five children, two of whom were deceased, as well as 14 grandchildren, 16 greatgrands and four greatgreat- grands. He said
her long life meant a lot to them and recalled his upbringing. “She was very disciplined with us, especially with the girls. Our dad, Livingstone Sealy, was a seaman, a chef on a ship, so he was away a lot, but she ensured we did not get into any trouble.
She used to tell us to always be respectful to the elderly and brought us up in the right way, teaching us right from wrong. She looked after us and did everything possible for us,” he said.
Winston said his mother never had a formal job; instead, she was a housewife, staying home with them while his father worked at sea. She kept animals such as chickens, as he recalled getting up early before school to feed them. His parents married in 1946 and his dad passed in 1988.
Winston said his mother loved cooking and had a hearty appetite, with cou-cou and salt fish as well as souse among her favourite dishes. He added that she used to be an avid gardener, liked to watch Judge Judy, and could still read without glasses and do crossword puzzles. Her only major issue was with her hearing. (CA)
