Erna Petersen Schapira

Today, 88 years ago, Erna Petersen Schapira was born. And this afternoon, in a restaurant overlooking one of the many lakes scattered all over Denmark, outside the city of Copenhagen we are celebrating over a simple lunch, with some of her surviving old friends and her two sons and their respective spouses and two of her grandsons and a niece her birthday. Her birthday is unique as with other celebrants whose birthday fall on a leap year, with the anniversary taking place only every fourth year. Of her 11 guests, we were the only couple from outside Denmark. The day as Allan used to tell me is typical of the Danish weather during this time - cloudy, a shower every now and then, and windy. Allan, I and Barbara came to pick her up from the old peoples' residence she calls home for the past 4 years now at around 11:30 in the morning. When we came, she was already dressed in a dark blue sweater over a white turtle neck and black pants. Barbara tried to convince her to wear one of her necklaces but she refused to wear one. However, she readily agreed on wearing a brooch.