The Matriarch Meetings
Mollie Berglund
Grandmother: Sandra "Sandy" Berglund
Mollie Berglund is a Sophomore at the University of Michigan. She grew up in Maine where she was an avid baton twirler. Her paternal grandmother, Sandra Berglund, lives near her family in Maine.
Mollie Berglund delivers a beautiful account describing her relationship with her paternal grandmother, Sandy Berglund. She talks about how her grandmother played a large role in her life, and acted nearly as a second guardian (something that distinguishes herself from Caroline Taketa). Mollie has grown to see her grandmother as a role model, something born out of the similarities that she sees between herself and her grandmother. These two traits are something she shares with Charity Nighswonger. Both Charity and Mollie grew up living with their grandmothers, and describe the unique family unit that develops from a multi-generational home.
Part One
Part Two
Mollie admires her grandmother's strength and resilience, much like Desmond Melson (another interviewee). Mollie goes on to describe how her dependency on her grandmother shifted as she aged, changing from a physical dependency for food and care to an emotional need. This is yet another similarity she holds to Charity Nighswonger's interview. Finally, Mollie discusses how her grandmother hates any effort to be helped and how her family copes with a ailing grandmother who refuses to adjust to her new standard of life.
