Question
Who Is Genell Rose?
From the left - Gwen (CEO), Chef EW, Thelma (Wife), Genell (Company Namesake)
Genell Rose, Inc.
CEO & President, Gwen Nelson-Bichard
"Authentic New Orleans Creole Foods"
Who Is Genell Rose?
Genell Rose was a beautiful child with beautiful ideas. She loved beautiful things: beautiful clothes, art, classical concerts, ballet, and she always saw beauty in things and people, even when no one else could. She used to believe that God created everything good and if a thing appeared ugly, it was because man turned it ugly. Therefore, her philosophy of life was that all ugliness could be reversed into its inherent beauty since that had been its original state.
I used to sometimes hear my Mom and Dad whispering that Genell was not bound for this world and I used to believe that they meant that she would either run away because she did not like the ugliness in the world remaining that way or that she would become a star and move away since Genell was as beautiful as she was talented. My fathers ministers wife used to say that Genell had been given her voice from the angels because she had a voice that sounded angelic.
I was proud to have her as my sister and because everyone who met her loved her, I sometimes became jealous and would shrink into the background, thus becoming a very introverted young girl. But, Genell would always find a way to include me in the activities whether I wanted to or not and I would end up enjoying the festivities inspite of myself. Because of this, by the time we were 8 and 9 respectively, (Genell being the younger sister), we became best of friends and she would share her feelings and dreams with me.
Genell wanted to reverse the ugliness in the world and she once said that she loved dressing up and wearing beautiful things so much, that she wished that she could dress the whole world. And, she literally meant what she has said. If she saw someone, dressed shabbily in the street, she would immediately think of an outfit that might cheer them up. I once accused her of being simple-minded since a person having new clothes doesnt necessary change the persons outlook on life, their station, or their environment. She replied very simply, "It may not change their condition, but it would certainly change their attitude and frame of mind and thats a start at changing their circumstances." So, I think that if she had it in her power and saw someone needing help, she would first redo their appearance and then give them something to eat. This was her philosophy and she saw things differently. We were very young so even though our words to each other may be posed differently, the intent of this message is the same. Genell always placed her dolls clothes on her animals and she was always devising different ways to accommodate her dolls accessories to fit her pets. She had a very creative mind. She liked to imagine herself in different parts of the world and then place herself there. She was accustomed to looking at the world news because this was the framework that gave her mind the background that she needed to mentally travel from one place to another.
When peace conference updates were first broadcast over national TV in the late fifties, she always felt that things would go better if each of the diplomats were to bring their children instead of leaving them back at home with their wives. She felt that if ambassadors saw each of their peers in a father role, it would act as a buffer to the proceedings to soften up the environment of the meetings because everyone there would realize that they had something precious to lose. That way people would not be relegated to just nations of people, but people in families. As I said, she saw everything differently.
Genell, I believed, was a blessed child, even though, I did not realize this characteristic until it was too late. She was accustomed to using her dreams to create things. She sometimes just daydreamed and would imagine fun things to do. When I would ask her how she was coming up with all those ideas, Genell would tell me that she got her talents from her parents and her gifts from God. For example, she felt her singing voice came from her parents, but to sing with such melodiousness, came from God, Himself. To me (even though I was older), I felt that she was a little old lady in a very young body.
Around the age of ten years, I notice a difference in Genells and my relationship. I became the younger sister and she took on an older sister posture. She told my parents and myself secrets that we only now can share with the world. Even though, my mother used to say things such as "Genell is not long for this world," in a light-hearted way, I really dont think that my mother actually thought about the seriousness of such a statement or that she meditatively thought about what she was saying. Therefore, I shared her secrets and stored her wisdom without thinking too much about it. I began to think that my little childlike ideas of Genell running away or becoming a star was going to come to fruition by her becoming a star and I began to live vicariously through this dream. I used to dream of my sister, the star, and tried to imagine what that would be:
1. Opera star
2. Clothes Designer
3. Poet
4. Famous novelist, journalist, screenwriter
5. Model
With all of her gifts, she could have been excellent at any of these professions.
Then, one day in early July of 1961, Genell exhibited another change in her behavior. Since I had now become accustomed to her constant metamorphoses, I paid no attention to it. I felt, this to will pass away. I just wanted to experience what she created from this phase in her life. Her constant contemplative state became more and more prayerful. To me, it seems as if God (still a remote and uninvolved being to me at the time) became her personal friend. She said she would ask God questions, and he would answer her. After hearing this so much from her, I decided to indulge her and ask that she tell me what God and the angels were telling her. She informed me about things in the family that would occur before they actually happened. For example, she told me about two older married cousins breaking up before anyone in the family knew. Both married cousins were considered happily married by the entire family and the whole family was rocked when these two divorces occurred.....and especially so close to each other.
This also, occurred during the time when divorce was considered taboo. I started to take Genell seriously after this, and asked more frequently about her conversations with God and the angels. She, again, confided in me. I wanted to know why some people had to be poor, and other people had too much money. She told me that man was responsible for this condition and not God. The world produced enough abundance for all mankind or God would not have allowed us to inhabit the earth. But, man being selfish, did not like sharing the wealth so that the abundance could be more evenly distributed. I thought about that, and remembered when I did not want my mother to give the clothes that I had outgrown to the Salvation Army. I remember thinking that she was right, and this selfish attitude started at an early age and probably became more pronounced as an adult. She said that if everyone learned to share as everyone learns to hold on to things, then there would be less need in the world and more abundance. I asked her why there was sickness in the world, and she told me something that packed a wallop. She said that she was sick, but that it was OK. If Mom and Dad were rich enough, she would go to Fatima where she believed that she could be healed. But since they were not, she was ready to return to God. I did not want to believe Genell since I knew that she was only being treated for a sore throat at the time. However, something in the recesses of my mind made me know that what she was saying was true. Genell told me that sickness and death were all part of God's great plan to draw mankind back to him. She said that we did not need to become sick and die to see God, but that was the only time that people had time for God. I told her that she was angel-like, so why did she have to die. She told me that she knew that she was not satisfied living on earth and even though, she loved us, she would rather wait for us in heaven......she was ready. My child's mind could not comprehend everything she said, but I started having dreams about Genell flying away. Strangely enough, my parents started having dreams about Genell going away about the same time. My parents and I found out about each others dreams after Genell's death on August 15, 1961. She died as she had lived, peacefully. She left behind her dreams and a stack of letters involving her dreams, creations, and visions. To this day, I can sleep and picture conversations with her as if she is physically with me and sometimes when I think of one of her creations, ideas, or memories, I literally think that she is with me reminding me of the ideas. I trully believe that Genell lived on earth for a while as a gift, and she was wiser than the adults surrounding her at that time.
Even though Genell's time has passed, the time for Genell's ideas has come.
Genell was just like our mother, and she was correct when she said that she got her talents from them. Three years ago, our Mom, also, passed away, but because of Genell, my father and I are peaceful about Mom's death. Mom had a lot of ideas, especially about clothes design. She created all of the clothes worn by my sister and myself. Family members would request garments to be made by her for the holidays. A lot of the fashions did not have patterns because they were designs of her own. My father and I wished to share their creative ideas (Genell and Mom) with the world as a living testament to their memory. In this way, we can always have them with us.
Epilogue
After Genell's passing, I gave all of her clothes and toys away. A lot of my relatives wanted her things for their kids and since my parents gave me Genell's things, I passed them on to family and others. She would have wanted that. My sister truly taught me the meaning of the words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." I saw her possessions (toys and clothes) make a lot of kids smile. I am sure that she must have been smiling too.
