Today, for the "Women's History Month" celebration, I would like to introduce this gorgeous and fabulous woman
Meet Lena Rose Knight, 63, mom of 2, Glammie to 8, Caregiver, Yoga Instructor and Healing Arts Practitioner
"There is no joy without gratitude." - Brené Brown
"God is my pilot."
Lena is a Waterville, Maine native. Born on October 11, 1959, she is 63 years of age. She claims to have been born at the peak, the peak of the foliage, which has made her a colorful character. It also makes fall her favorite season. She is proud to be a true Maniac! Lena adores the State of Maine with all of its wilderness and beauty. She is in love with nature, a gift she credits to her dad. And she is obsessed with crafting, the mind, body soul connections, and the healing arts, which are her mom’s doing.
Lena came from humble beginnings. She was a middle child of 5, but she feels as though she was the youngest of 3 and the oldest of 3. But no matter how you slice it, a middle child is full of mischief, spunk, mischief, curiosity, mischief, laughter, mischief and fun. So, yes! She spent a lot of time “in the corner”. Not only was she a middle child, but she took after her grandmother, Lena, with bright red hair and loads of freckles. She remembers that her red hair and freckles didn’t win her any beauty awards, but instead got her picked on a lot at school…. Her mother would say, “One day you will love your red hair.” And her father would count her freckles, starting on her shoulders but always got tired and never did finish. His highest count was near a thousand…. It’s no surprise that her Mom was right. Lena grew to love her red hair and embrace her unlimited supply of freckles; both of which birthed the chutzpah, courage and perseverance that she has carried with her through life. What we can’t change, changes us.
Back in the day, Waterville was quite the busy little city. Lena and her sisters danced at Jerry Mcquillan’s dance studio. They also were in many of Waterville’s amazing parades twirling batons. Their mother, Jean, was a seamstress and helped to create many costumes through the years. Lena still enjoys dancing and you might hear her tapping from time to time. She always loves to find a tap class- now even online. Her mother infected her with the love of sewing, creativity and crafts of all kinds, She has a craft room today that she can’t imagine ever parting with. She could never hone in on one or two crafts. Her list of interests is endless, like her supplies.
Lena’s father, John, gave her the gift of the outdoors. On weekends and vacations you would find her family camping. Her fondest memories are of camping at Messalonskee Lake Campground and of course Camp Seguin in Georgetown. Camping at the Forks is a close third. She loved and loves camping, fishing, hiking canoeing etc etc. and even trips to Camp Bomazeen. Her father was a Boy Scout Leader.
Lena’s first “real” job when she was 14 was where her Mom worked at Grondin’s Cleaners. She soon left for a position at the new restaurant that just came to town, McDonald’s. She remembers her first raise was from $1.90 an hour to $2.10! She became a training coordinator and was quite involved in the store. She had many friends and learned great lessons, like work, ethic while working there. “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean!” Too funny!
Even with working 30 plus hours a week, in the home of The Purple Panthers, she still found time to be part of the Drill Team and to Cheerlead.
Her simple beginnings taught her so much about life. When she felt frustrated her mother would tell her that her attitude was everything in life. Her family taught her to love God and to persevere. She learned many talents from her parents and is proud today that she can still make a great campfire, read a road map, change a tire and clean her spark plugs…. Although things were not always smooth and happy within her family, she is forever grateful for their impact on who she is today! She envisions Jean nudging John and saying - “It took them long enough to get along, but we did good!” By the way, if you ever see Lena out in a restaurant, she will probably be sitting in a corner seat, after all she grew up there and is quite comfortable.
A big smile comes over Lena’s face when she reminisces about raising her children, Katherine and Tom. She definitely treasures every moment they shared together. There are too many fun and love filled stories to share. When she mentions that they were the 3 Musketeers and Weekend Warriors you can feel the love she has for them. Although her job was a major part of her life all those years- working from 60 to 70 hours a week - she always looked forward to weekend adventures with her kids. Whether they stayed home, went skiing and boarding, camping, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, etc etc, weekends were always fun and love filled. Her children definitely bring her joy. Life could have been easier, working less and worrying less about money, but nothing would have changed all the blessings. Lena is very proud of her children. Katherine has her own private counseling business. She is thriving, healing the world by helping one person at a time. She is also a great Mom and raising a beautiful daughter. Tom is married and has 5 amazing spunky children! He is a hard working man, a loving husband and best of all - an amazing Dad! Christopher is now another son of Lena’s. He is a Marine Veteran and all around good man! Chris is also a great dad to 2 lovely daughters. Lena loves her grandchildren. They bring her immense love, joy and pride! Lena’s heart is her family. Life is good!
One of Lena’s dreams was to be a star on stage and in the movies. Her favorite entertainment was comedy and dance. Lucille Ball was a big influence as well as other comedians of that time. She would have given anything to join Bob Hope on tour and entertain the troops with the USO. Years later, although being a single Mom was tricky, Lena found time to enjoy community theater. She was in quite a few productions and played some very fun, amazing roles. She even co-wrote a dinner theater. She always holds all of her theater peeps close to her heart. They filled her life with love through some challenging times!
For the past 45 years, Lena has had the honor of caring for children in her home. She has so so many fun and joyous stories from “her children” and has always loved their simple, sweet and pure joy of life. She enjoyed the extra activities with her kids. They performed in talent shows, presented plays, raised money for the Red Cross, and sent toiletries to the troops to name a few. She even had a crew of boys that loved baseball. She’ll never forget singing the National Anthem after school, before their daily baseball game. They even spent the night and celebrated the Red Sox winning the World Series! When a child leaves her care, she always reflects and is saddened. She says she always wonders if she could ever find another child and family that she could love as much as the ones leaving. She claims that by putting those thoughts and wishes into the universe- low and behold- another amazing family pops into her life. Lena may have lost track of the number of children she has cared for through the years, but she will never lose track of the feelings of joy and love they brought into her life. As the years go by, she is tickled when she gets a friend request from one of “her children”. She is overjoyed when they meet out in the world, and gets to share stories of their Iives. Being an Ordained Minister, she has even married some of her kids! Through the years, every single child has been an immense blessing to her.
Has there been adversity in Lena’s life? Of course. Lena is a DES daughter which changed her body, causing it to not be able to hold the weight of her babies. She lost her first baby when she was 20 weeks pregnant. He weighed too much for her body to handle. She remembers this particular nurse who advocated for her to be able to hold Aaron, and had insisted on Lena having some private time with him. Aaron was perfect in every way. She recalls his translucent skin, and counting his fingers and toes. She had a hard time surrendering him, but…. BUT he instantly became an angel watching over her and her family. June 17, 1981.
Dr. Christiane Northrop convinced Lena to be a demonstration for a procedure that would help other doctors learn about the cervical problems of DES daughters. It was Lena’s way of healing and helping her fellow womankind. Lena also lost her Dad when she was carrying her daughter, Katherine. She is sad that he never met her kids or any grandchildren. He is gone but not forgotten. And she believes this is why they will probably not know how to change spark plugs or read a road map…. Lena became a single Mom when her children were 4 and 2. This was definitely a profound time of heartache, reflection and redefining herself. She had many struggles, like any other self employed single mother of two. She worked super long days beginning at 4:30 and ended sometimes at 9:00 in the evening. She was always afraid to fail herself and her children. The passing of her Mom in 2008 was another great loss for her. Lena’s mindset has evolved through the years. Today when she looks back on these and other adversities she sees them as lessons that didn’t define her but enabled her to redefine herself. All these moments are just puzzle pieces in the Jigsaw of her life.
Where’s Waldo? I mean where is Lena every morning at 4:30? Lena loves to start each day studying an online class, practicing yoga, meditating or going for a walk on the beach. Every sunrise is a gift. She loves to start each day with a good attitude and perhaps learning something new. Lena is approaching retirement age. This seems very surreal as she feels much younger. If / when she retires from Munchkin Manor, you will still find her busy. Of course she will be crafting, but Lena loves the healing arts. She is a Reiki Master of Masters, a Heart Lotus Evolution Practitioner, an experienced yoga teacher E-RYT 500 (vinyasa, yin, and yoga nidra), certified in Barre, AND a certified hypnotherapist! So many loves, so little time. She will have a thriving practice. She wants to be an inspiration , a healer and a sought after speaker (which could be a comedy…), and perhaps becoming a vlogger to share what she loves. She talks about maybe having a book or two to write and they will certainly be on the best sellers list! Oh and maybe she‘ll star in some Hallmark movies or a series…... "When you stop dreaming, you stop living." Says Lena.
With a grateful loving heart, Lena knows that she hasn’t made it to a healthy happy 63 without all of her friends’ support and inspiration through these many years. She will never forget even the smallest of the kind words, heartfelt chats and warm hugs. After all, we are just walking each other home. To all of you, she bows.
Here are a few more of Lena's Favorite quotes:
"There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen
"Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk." - Rumi
"Abundance is not something we acquire, it is something we tune into." - Wayne Dyer
"Change your thoughts, change your life." - Marisa Peer
"I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments strung together by trust, gratitude and inspiration." - Brené Brown
******
Thank you, Lena, for sharing your story and empowering others!
#womenshistorymonth #womansupportingwomen #womanpower #mainephotographer
2 Comments
Apr 28, 2024, 11:12:58 AM
Terri Cassellius - Thanks for sharing your life experiences,accomplishments, and Beautiful pictures. And most importantly your Love and Light🫶🏼
Mar 18, 2023, 10:08:24 AM
Timothy Ribbons - I graduated high school with Lena, in 1977. She is an amazing woman who has made in a difference in so many lives that she's touched. Lena has many, many accomplishments that she should be proud of. Her beautiful smile is captivating and she makes me proud to call her my friend. She still has more to do in her life and has boundless energy to achieve all of her goals. Thank you for being you, Lena.