06/16/2024
Today’s a tough day for me. After 30 years of business the Body Source is closing its Miller Place doors and will operate from an online platform and to-be announced pop ups. Im here going through decades of items and memorabilia my mom stored and collected here. Everything has an emotional charge. Ive lived a lot of life here and so have many of the wonderful customers who came to visit today and say goodbye to this special sweet spot in the universe thanks to my mothers commitment to kindness and community. Im so proud to be her daughter. She was good woman. A benevolent queen who lived like a pauper in order to serve her patrons and keep her two mutant 😉 kids.
It seems only fitting on this day, Fathers Day, to share what I said at her memorial since in many ways she played both the mother and father role to me. The success of Body Source allowed her to cover both spots. So here goes. Hard to encapsulate such an accomplishment persons life but I endeavored to try and I think my mom would appreciate.
My mom was a big deal. She was and will remain to be the kind of woman that belongs in history books about women who challenged stereotypes and overcame gender-based obstacles.
She transcended societal limitations by doing things that were unknowingly ahead of her time. She was a girl who believed in herself enough to try. And most things she tried, she succeeded at.
She broke through boundaries, earning accolades, awards, positions of merit, power and respect.
My kind of woman.
As the oldest of 4, and the only girl in a lower middle class family during the mid century she did not have it easy.
She was born in 1945 to an 18-year-old mother who married to an enlisted soldier who was serving in WWII at the time. By the time he returned from the war, she was a year old. A beautiful blue eyed blondie girl.
She was the apple of her father Thomas’ eye.
It was long before her 3 brothers came along. She acted as a second mother to them, Thomas, Patrick and Gregory. Protective, nurturing, supportive, and loving throughout all of their lives. She managed to outlive 2 of her younger brothers. And when Gregory, the youngest of the Walsh died at the age of 32 after years of suffering from a fall that broke his back, she grieved like a mother who lost a child. He was her baby. She endured a lot of loss throughout her life but always remained steadfast to her commitments. She was resilient.
Despite their meager lifestyle in a house my grandpa built himself in Farmingdale, the Walshs were rich in laughter, love and loyalty. They were a tight bunch who enjoyed being together playing cards, horseshoes, and hosting barbecues in their backyard. I loved going there. My mom often remarked about how happy her childhood was, how loved she felt by her parents Helen and Tom.
They were very loving, good, salt of the earth type of people who I spent a lot of time. They took me in often during my parents divorce.
Its safe to say their commitment to the American dream was the spark that lit the fire that burned so fiercely inside my mom. That fire to achieve fueled her many pursuits and was stoked by the simple facts of her circumstances.
She didn’t come from wealth. If she wanted more she’d have to go out and get it herself.
She was a tall girl at 5’10, and big feet. So big she had to wear men’s shoes growing up. Poor girl stood out so she had to step into a man’s ‘role’ to get what she needed. It was just as much a matter of function as it was necessity. She did what she had to do to make it.
So when she told her father in the mid 1960s that she wanted to go to college, you can go but only if your brothers go too. And she made sure they did.
She made good deals that she honored to get what I know she knew was best for everyone, not just herself. She was not selfish in her pursuits but rather selfless and always grateful for the opportunities she was given.
As a result she graduated with a master’s in history education and became the first female teacher in the history department at Bethpage High School.
She had a deep understanding of the subject and was regarded fondly and respectfully by her students. I know this because a few of her former students come into the shop and tell me about her commanding style and commitment to excellence. All characteristics she exhibited in everything she did.
She could cook great, sew all kinds of things and played tennis semi-professionally. And she was great mom and wife, hostess, gardener, friend. So much of the beautification of the condo complex where we both live is due to her efforts that she volunteered for many years.
And lastly but certainly not leastly, there’s the Body Source.
Many people knew my mom, Helen, aka the guru through that home away from home of hers. It was the site of her resurrection. It was the place where she rose from the ashes of a gutting divorce and reached new heights. She touched so many lives with her extensive knowledge that she generously shared with anyone and everyone who came here. There is not a day that goes by that someone here or in some random place doesn’t share how much of an impact she has had on their lives.
Its so wild and makes me feel so proud and protected. My guardian angel, meemaw Mommy.
Since 1995 that woman worked hard to maintain the integrity of this local gem, sacrificing so much of herself in order to maintain reasonable if not low prices for her beloved family of customers.
Helen Walsh was a giver. She gave and gave and gave. She loved to give. She gave until almost nothing was left like the tree from one of her favorite books, “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein.
Since the beginning of March up until her passing at the end of April, Ive been pretending to be Helen, running The Body Source.
During these past few months, Ive learned how much resilience and commitment it takes to run a small business. Ive learned how much discipline and temperance it takes to keep it running. How much energy, faith and courage it requires. Ive learned so much gratitude for others and for the woman I get to call my mom. Ugh what a gift! Not a bad deal mom. Not a bad deal lady.
She done good. You done so good mommy. You not only kept your promise to give your children a better life than yours but you made some special bsource magic. You’re the best.
Thanks for all the love over the years , this story is not over. Its just not taking place in the same space. Stay tuned. Love and light bsource bright.
