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A friend of mine has challenged a group of us to email around 3 things we are grateful for every day - kind of a sanity check in these strange times. This dispatch came through today :
For the 22nd year, Citymeals-on-Wheels returned to the Rainbow Room, in NYC on Friday, November 21, 2008 for the "Power Lunch for Women"; they asked celebrity photographer Ann Watt to photograph the city’s most influential ladies who attended to honor Martha Stewart for her dedicated work in the field of gerontology and Lynda Resnick, Co-Chair of Roll International, for her leadership in corporate philanthropy.
* At the event I took time out from behind the camera to ask a few ladies (and one very powerful gentleman) to tell me "What are you grateful for?" and here is what they said:
1) Model Carmen Dell'Orefice, says: “I am thankful for my friends who are still alive, thankful for my friends who are no longer here, thankful for the air I breathe that’s left and everyday that I wake up.” [this question was asked prior to supermodel Carmen (age 77) losing her life savings in the Bernie Madoff investment fiasco; fortunately Carmen is still a working model.]
2) Columnist Liz Smith says: “I am thankful for Palm Beach, I love Palm Beach – it’s like Disney World for grownups; it’s clean." [asked before Ms Smith (age 86) was fired from her job at the NY Post.]
3) Columnist Cindy Adams says: “I’m thankful that my dogs have just come thru surgery. I’m grateful that my face hasn’t fallen so badly that I can’t still be on television. I’m grateful for the fact that I live in the most exciting most wonderful city in the whole world. I’m grateful that I can still manage to keep an apartment in it. And I’m grateful that you would come over and ask me what I am thankful for. Thank you." [still working at the NY Post, but should have been fired instead of Liz Smith.]
4) Businessman Donald Tobler says: "Being here is terrific. As Cindy says so eloquently, we live in one of the greatest cities in the world, no matter how bad things are, we enjoy what civilization is all about here. And I don’t care whether you’re a millionaire, a billionaire, as long as you have a few bucks you can enjoy NYC to its utmost by just walking around the streets, and that’s what I am thankful for. My wife who’s getting a new hip for Christmas, she was operated on yesterday and she’s recovering at the Hospital for Special Surgery – and I am more thankful for that than for anything else in the world."
5) Author Gael Green; "I’m stunned and astonished by how much money we raised at the Woman’s Power Lunch today, just by telling people that we’ve lost $1,200,000. because of Wall Street devastation. And all of a sudden people are shooting out $10,000 here and $10,000 there and I’m amazed … I do have a lot to be thankful for." [asked before New York magazine's longtime food critic was let go after 40 years of writing about New York dining for the magazine.]
6) Actress Kathleen Turner, “Oh Lord, Mercy there is so much …I am thankful for the health and happiness of my child. I’m thankful for the new energy and direction of the country. I’m thankful for the imagination that keeps us alive."
7) Newscaster Paula Zahn: I am grateful for so many things in my life, where do I start? I’m thankful that my family for the most part is blessed with great health. I am so grateful that I have three incredibly engaged happy children and an extended family that reaches out to each other every since day. I am a lucky girl!
8) Gloria Steinem: "Three things. Getting rid of George Bush. Getting rid of George Bush. Getting rid of George Bush."
9) Actress, Bernadette Peters: "I am grateful to be able doing the work I am doing and to be able to reach a lot of people with my art. It’s a privilege."
10) Singer Andrea Marcovicci "I am so thankful for my daughter, she’s 13 now and she just gives me such joy and hugs and kisses and she has happiness in her life all the time and she brings me happiness. I had a child late in life and just gotten younger ever since."
11) Actress Christine Baranski "I am in my 25th year of marriage, celebrated my 25th anniversary in October. I have two grown up girls and one is finishing up her last year in college. I’m just so grateful that they’ve grown up to be beautiful girls and we’re still a family, a whole family."
12) Actress, Bebe Neuwirth, says: "I’m grateful for health, happiness and love."
And what is Ann Watt grateful for? I am very grateful for the good health of my family. I am also grateful for the opportunity to be in such good company at this luncheon with some of the most powerful women in NYC; this is humbling because I look around and think about just how much these women have done in their respective fields… I’m grateful to live and enjoy my life with my camera always on hand.
Ellen Herbert
ellenherbert@roadrunner.com
For the 22nd year, Citymeals-on-Wheels returned to the Rainbow Room, in NYC on Friday, November 21, 2008 for the "Power Lunch for Women"; they asked celebrity photographer Ann Watt to photograph the city’s most influential ladies who attended to honor Martha Stewart for her dedicated work in the field of gerontology and Lynda Resnick, Co-Chair of Roll International, for her leadership in corporate philanthropy.
* At the event I took time out from behind the camera to ask a few ladies (and one very powerful gentleman) to tell me "What are you grateful for?" and here is what they said:
1) Model Carmen Dell'Orefice, says: “I am thankful for my friends who are still alive, thankful for my friends who are no longer here, thankful for the air I breathe that’s left and everyday that I wake up.” [this question was asked prior to supermodel Carmen (age 77) losing her life savings in the Bernie Madoff investment fiasco; fortunately Carmen is still a working model.]
2) Columnist Liz Smith says: “I am thankful for Palm Beach, I love Palm Beach – it’s like Disney World for grownups; it’s clean." [asked before Ms Smith (age 86) was fired from her job at the NY Post.]
3) Columnist Cindy Adams says: “I’m thankful that my dogs have just come thru surgery. I’m grateful that my face hasn’t fallen so badly that I can’t still be on television. I’m grateful for the fact that I live in the most exciting most wonderful city in the whole world. I’m grateful that I can still manage to keep an apartment in it. And I’m grateful that you would come over and ask me what I am thankful for. Thank you." [still working at the NY Post, but should have been fired instead of Liz Smith.]
4) Businessman Donald Tobler says: "Being here is terrific. As Cindy says so eloquently, we live in one of the greatest cities in the world, no matter how bad things are, we enjoy what civilization is all about here. And I don’t care whether you’re a millionaire, a billionaire, as long as you have a few bucks you can enjoy NYC to its utmost by just walking around the streets, and that’s what I am thankful for. My wife who’s getting a new hip for Christmas, she was operated on yesterday and she’s recovering at the Hospital for Special Surgery – and I am more thankful for that than for anything else in the world."
5) Author Gael Green; "I’m stunned and astonished by how much money we raised at the Woman’s Power Lunch today, just by telling people that we’ve lost $1,200,000. because of Wall Street devastation. And all of a sudden people are shooting out $10,000 here and $10,000 there and I’m amazed … I do have a lot to be thankful for." [asked before New York magazine's longtime food critic was let go after 40 years of writing about New York dining for the magazine.]
6) Actress Kathleen Turner, “Oh Lord, Mercy there is so much …I am thankful for the health and happiness of my child. I’m thankful for the new energy and direction of the country. I’m thankful for the imagination that keeps us alive."
7) Newscaster Paula Zahn: I am grateful for so many things in my life, where do I start? I’m thankful that my family for the most part is blessed with great health. I am so grateful that I have three incredibly engaged happy children and an extended family that reaches out to each other every since day. I am a lucky girl!
8) Gloria Steinem: "Three things. Getting rid of George Bush. Getting rid of George Bush. Getting rid of George Bush."
9) Actress, Bernadette Peters: "I am grateful to be able doing the work I am doing and to be able to reach a lot of people with my art. It’s a privilege."
10) Singer Andrea Marcovicci "I am so thankful for my daughter, she’s 13 now and she just gives me such joy and hugs and kisses and she has happiness in her life all the time and she brings me happiness. I had a child late in life and just gotten younger ever since."
11) Actress Christine Baranski "I am in my 25th year of marriage, celebrated my 25th anniversary in October. I have two grown up girls and one is finishing up her last year in college. I’m just so grateful that they’ve grown up to be beautiful girls and we’re still a family, a whole family."
12) Actress, Bebe Neuwirth, says: "I’m grateful for health, happiness and love."
And what is Ann Watt grateful for? I am very grateful for the good health of my family. I am also grateful for the opportunity to be in such good company at this luncheon with some of the most powerful women in NYC; this is humbling because I look around and think about just how much these women have done in their respective fields… I’m grateful to live and enjoy my life with my camera always on hand.
Ellen Herbert
ellenherbert@roadrunner.com
