What Caretaker Nina Bellamy Has Learned After 57 Great-Grandchildren
“Hearst Magazines and Verizon Media may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.”
Interview by Jaliah Robinson/
Photograph by Gavin McIntyre
Nina Bellamy, 94, raised 13 children, and has 28 grandchildren, 57 great-grandchildren, and 30 great-great-grandchildren. When she was in the thick of it as a working mother, she also helped care for sick kids in the neighborhood whose parents couldn’t afford to take them to the doctor. Here’s what she’s learned from a lifetime of giving firm but always loving guidance.
Jaliah Robinson: In all your years of living, what is the most important thing that you’ve learned?
Nina Bellamy: I started working when I was young, when I was still in school. I stringed tobacco on a farm. Back in them days, when you got paid you brought the money home to your parents, you didn’t go and spend it and do what you wanted to do. And I am thankful for that today. It learned me not to make plans with money till I get it in my hands. It learned me to take care with it.
JR: Have you ever had a day where you felt like nothing was going your way?
NB: Yeah, I’ve had plenty of days like that. A lot of days it seemed like just nothing will work. I’ve had some hard times, but I pray to the Lord and ask Him to keep me. One time I caught on fire. I was going to go pick the apple tree and I didn’t want my baby to catch no cold, so I put her down and went to turn on the heater. Honey, my gown caught on fire! We had a slop bucket, and I said “Throw it on me, throw anything to smother the fire!” I stayed in Conway Hospital for three months. I think I made it because of the Lord.
JR: Is there a person who you would say if not for them, you wouldn’t be who you are today?
NB: I had a sister that just looked like she didn’t want to take no mess. Her name was Emily. She didn’t mind fighting for her rights. I had a good daddy and a good momma. They taught me the importance of church. My daddy was a preacher. He [would] go to Sumpter to preach and travel to different conferences. My mother worked in the church and taught Sunday school. She’d say, “Where you think you’re going? You going to church tonight.”
JR: Why do you think this younger generation isn’t as present in church?
NB: I think about that a lot. Children don’t like to be corrected these days. When I see people doing wrong, I just got to tell them. And you can be grown and be wrong. If somebody keeps saying you are wrong but you think you are right, it’s a problem. You need to listen.
JR: You used to help take care of the sick children in the community. Are there any home remedies that you remember using?
NB: Well there wasn’t no going to a doctor. You make a tea of tobacco—boil it, put a little bit of sugar in it, and drink it down, and that’s good for a cold. For a fever, go to the store and get cough syrup and castor oil, and put onions in your sock. When kids would get colic, I’d give them soda water.
JR: What advice would you give this upcoming generation?
NB: Why grab at everything? It’s not good. And you can go wrong so long you [can’t stop]. They know what to do, they just don’t want to. Pray for understanding. They need to say, “Show me, Lord, the way, guide me on home, don’t let me go astray.”
JR: What do you think is the key to living a long and healthy life?
NB: God and family are key. I have been through thick and thin, but the Lord has brought me through. And I still have the Lord—and my grandchildren—helping me through.
JR: Does the thought of dying scare you?
NB: I don’t worry about that and it don’t scare me, because I know one day I got to go. No one came in this world to stay, and I know when it’s my time I got to go. I’m happy with the life I’ve lived. I worked as long as I could. I had pretty good health, too. I did all I could.
JR: Thank you for sitting down with me today.
NB: If I have done any good, then you’re welcome. Some people ask me things and I ask the Lord, “Wonder why they asking me?” But I be ready to talk. If I know anything, I’ll tell it.
About the Journalist and Photographer:
Turn Inspiration to Action
Consider donating to the National Association of Black Journalists. You can direct your dollars to scholarships and fellowships that support the educational and professional development of aspiring young journalists.
Support The National Caucus & Center on Black Aging. Dedicated to improving the quality of life of older African Americans, NCCBA's educational programs arm them with the tools they need to advocate for themselves.
Credits: Gavin McIntyre: Andrew Whitaker
This story was created as part of Lift Every Voice, in partnership with Lexus. Lift Every Voice records the wisdom and life experiences of the oldest generation of Black Americans by connecting them with a new generation of Black journalists. The oral history series is running across Hearst magazine, newspaper, and television websites around Juneteenth 2021. Go to oprahdaily.com/lifteveryvoice for the complete portfolio.
You Might Also Like
