My mother was raised by her grandmother until she was eight years old. We grew up hearing stories about Grandma Anna. She is revered in my family. My company’s logo is a derivative of an ancient picture stone found in Gotland, Sweden, Grandma Anna’s childhood home.
Anna was a strong woman. Her life story is an inspiration. Forced to leave Sweden under religious persecution in 1878, Anna’s parents made plans to join her uncle in the United States and settle in an Idaho farming community. However, resources were limited, and the family had to send their children ahead to take advantage of the lower-priced boat fare for children. So they sent their youngest daughter Mary, age 9, at the lower fare, accompanied by Anna, age 15, who cut and sold her long hair to pay her fare.
The young girls came across the Atlantic Ocean on the cheapest tickets you could buy – steerage on a sailing ship. When they arrived in New York, someone stole their luggage. With only the clothes on their backs, the girls boarded a train headed West.
When the train pulled into the station in Ogden, Utah, the girls expected to meet their uncle. But the snowfall was so heavy that year that he was unable to get through the mountain pass to meet them. Adding to the girls’ difficulties, Mary contracted chickenpox along the way and fell very ill.
They were in a foreign country – sick, cold, lonesome, unable to speak the language, no clothes, no money, and no family or friends.
Despite these setbacks, somehow, Anna made it work. She dug deep, became creative, and persevered. She found a Swedish family in town to care for them until her uncle could collect them. Eventually, she learned English and how to survive on the frontier. Anna built a life for herself out on the prairies of the West. She herded sheep and cattle, ran a farm, made meals for the threshing teams, and raised her family.
At some point in our lives, everyone has been that little girl, shivering alone on a cold and empty train platform, uncomfortable in new circumstances and unsure of next steps.
Whenever I am struggling and in unknown territory, unsure how to proceed, I think of Grandma Anna’s strength and determination. It helps me to get creative, roll up my sleeves, and wade through something that might not be comfortable or familiar. Her story allows me to dig deep and find my natural strengths when I need to achieve results despite obstacles.
At Gladstone, we uphold Grandma Anna’s legacy, guiding those adrift in unfamiliar terrain. Even the most accomplished may find themselves at a crossroads, their past successes inadequate for the road ahead. It’s in these pivotal moments that we find purpose — helping others traverse the path to their next triumph, just as Grandma Anna did for us.