Flo.

Adversity doesn't have to take us down. It can instead foster grit. That is what it did for my grandmother, Mama Flo as we loved to call her. Florine (Flo) D'Andrea was born on March 10th, 1929, just six months prior to the infamous stock market crash that thrust the Western world into "The Great Depression." In 1930, when Florine was learning to crawl, close to 26,000 businesses collapsed. By 1932, when she was learning to talk, twenty-five percent of the American workforce was without work and nearly thirty-five hundred banks had shut down, causing millions of people to lose their life savings. Needless to say, Mama Flo Do learned early in life to appreciate the simplest of things, like food that nourishes us, and the clothing on our backs.

Despite less than ideal circumstances, Florine always spoke positively about her childhood. Her mom, let's just say she was far from engaged, and Flo never knew her father. But Flo's four brothers apparently filled those adult nurturing roles for her and her two sisters in amazing ways. Her eyes always lit up at the mere mention of one of their names. Flo's brothers were her rock, an unwavering source of security and nurturing. They beautifully personified commitment and devotion, of family at its best, for their little sisters. (They were also, apparently, great teachers of the art of yodeling. Long nights on the front porch singing were some of Flo's favorite childhood memories.)

More adversity set in for Flo at the start of World War II in 1941, when she was twelve years old. All four brothers were drafted into the army to fight for the Allied Forces in an effort to defeat the Axis powers and the Nazi regime. The young men who were the source of all the love and security that Flo knew disappeared overnight, with no guarantee of return. One can only imagine how it must have felt for the budding teenager to hug all of her brothers goodbye as they went off to war. So Flo had to grow up quickly to help put food on the table. In her freshman year of high school, she decided to quit school to begin work at the Barnesboro Shirt Factory in western Pennsylvania. I am told that she regularly begged her sister Margaret to stay in school, making her promise that she would be the one to get a high school diploma. (How beautifully selfless!) But money was extremely tight, and the day finally came when Flo looked up from her work to see her sister being led to her own sewing machine. I'm told that Mama Flo didn't speak to her sister for a full month afterward because of that. This story only makes me love her that much more.

When the war was over, and with her brothers all miraculously home, Florine fell in love in her early 20's and married her first husband. The adversity in her life, however, did not yet subside. Flo was told she was unable to have children, and just five years into her marriage, she lost her husband to liver disease. A widow at twenty-six, Flo picked herself up by her bootstraps and found work as a dental assistant, something she was very proud to talk about. A couple of years later, Mama Flo fell in love with my grandfather, who I never had a chance to know personally. While Flo never really needed anyone to protect her, as life had made her quite resilient, her four brothers decided to pay "a little visit" one evening to meet the handsome Italian who was sweeping their sister off of her feet so soon after she lost her husband. By night's end, I am told, they were confident of his integrity and became fast friends. They may not have had much of what could be bought, but Flo and her siblings had an abundance of what we can never put a price tag on.

On the day my grandfather proposed, Flo shared with him that she would likely never have children, to which he responded, "I'll take my chances." The hardship that Flo had known for almost thirty years quickly dissipated. She began forty years of marriage to a man who absolutely adored her in the same small church that we celebrated her life after her passing, and was able to bear and dearly love four children and five grandchildren. Flo occasionally referred to my grandchildren. Flo occasionally referred to my grandfather as her "knight in shining armor" because he rescued her from a life of struggle. But I am confident that the grit that Flo developed as a young woman helped shape the wonderful life she enjoyed with my grandfather.

Last but not least, Flo was always "put together," even when she dressed casually. And when a really special occasion arose, she put her ability to sew to great use. Flo was famous for buying something for pennies off of a clearance rack and redesigning it into something unique and amazing. Her natural beauty helped, but heads turned when she walked into a room because of that!

Adversity taught my grandmother many wonderful things. I am so grateful that I was able to see and appreciate the fruits of her experiences, most especially her appreciation for the simple pleasures of life and her unshakeable commitment to family. Flo's Slow Fashion is a testimonial to her life. It is an extension of her dedication to what matters most, to her ability to persevere, and to her commitment toward achieving excellence.