I’m definitely a ’90s RnB type of romantic—blame my era—but can you imagine falling in love under a sky full of bombs?
Well, that’s how Nanna Maria, who recently celebrated her 102nd birthday, met the love of her life.
Needless to say, she has so many stories. But one of my favourites is her love story. It could kind of give Titanic a run for its money—except she’s from the Mediterranean island of Malta, so no icebergs in this story.
Nanna Maria was originally from Senglea but was evacuated during the Second World War to Rabat. And this is where she met her soulmate.
Now, I’ve watched many an apocalyptic-ish film with a central love scene and thought, How on earth can they think about, erm—romance at a time like this?
That is…
until Nanna Maria told me bombs were being dropped left, right, and centre.
Date nights for them meant dodging bombs and falling buildings.
Sounds wild, but the way she tells it, that chaos was just the backdrop to her story.
She fondly recalls a passionate courtship and falling head over heels in love in the midst of it all. They eventually got married and lived happily ever after—right up until his death in 1995.
Nanna Maria always tells these stories with a sparkle in her eye, like she’s reliving every little moment again. You can just tell she cherishes them all, with a smile on her face that seems to say: “I’m grateful to have experienced them”.
At 102, she’s faced many of life’s ups and downs. The hardest was probably losing her son.
I mean, it’s not how we expect the order of things to go, is it?
This was the first time I saw her cry. Like, really cry. Bless her—she has a photo of him on her bedside table, which she kisses each night. To be honest, I don’t think she’ll ever get over losing him.
But between her and my 91-year-old grandma, they’ve taught me what living with grief looks like. And if you’re ever lucky enough to love deeply, then it’s something we’ll all experience.
For a while after his passing, her brilliant light dimmed.
Even on good days, she carried a quiet guilt for feeling happy.
I remember catching her silently crying once. She tried to dry her tears quickly, not wanting anyone to fuss over her.
What I admire most about her is her ability to feel her emotions. She’ll actually say, “It’s just a bad day.”
And she’s right—it always passes. Before long, she’s back to her bright and cheerful self.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about her diet, it’s all about balance. That’s Nanna Maria’s mantra for life. She’s not into calorie-counting or fad diets. She eats everything in moderation, enjoys her dessert, and loves the odd glass of wine—who doesn’t?
But, but,but nothing passes her lips after 6 PM. Interestingly enough, I remember reading that Tina Turner had a similar rule, and she lived quite a long life.
But I digress.
Every morning, Nanna Maria wakes up with gratitude. She’s not overly religious, but she does recite the Rosary and thanks God for “one more day!”
It got me thinking: If there are secrets to a long life, then going by Nanna Maria, they’d be love, family, faith, gratitude, balance (life + diet), laughter, resilience…
and wine.
To be fair, I read Ikigai, a book about the “secrets” of the people living in Okinawa, Japan—the region with the most centenarians in the world.
And spoiler alert: their lifestyles aren’t too dissimilar.
So, you see… I’m not too far off!
Anyway, who’s the oldest person you know, and what’s the best life lesson they’ve shared with you?