Never imagined ever writing to you, yet here I am at my kitchen table in Red Rock, Arizona, doing so.

I am sipping hot water with honey, eating orange slices, then I will eat the two chocolate Zingers who are patiently waiting.

Like Kitty Kallen sang, little things mean a lot.

I was in the 8th grade when I was first introduced to you.

My teacher put on the movie, Funny Girl for the class to watch.

I instantly became a fan of your singing voice.

That was 37 years ago and today, I’m still a fan of your singing voice.

I was around 23 years old when I bought the Funny Girl CD.

I especially enjoyed blasting it while in the shower.

“Wait, they’re gonna hear a VOOOICE…”

It was also around this age when I bought your Christmas CD.

Your version of Jingle Bells is the most exhilarating!

The way you slow down My Favorite Things, is one of my favorite things.

(Couldn’t resist!)

I remember thanking you in my heart for putting out Christmas music, because I knew you were Jewish.

The only other CD I have owned of yours, was your Higher Ground one.

I bought that one because of the song, On Holy Ground.

I first heard the song, On Holy Ground, when I was a little girl living in Lathrop, California.

It was on a record my dad bought me, and the singer’s name was Jeannie Tenney. (Hope I spelled her name correctly.)

I bring this up because Jeannie Tenney and the author of, On Holy Ground, Geron Davis, I believe came from an Apostolic background like myself.

So when I found out that a nice little Jewish girl such as yourself had recorded, On Holy Ground, a church song I grew up with well, I had to have your version of it.

Two other songs from your Higher Ground CD that I especially love; Tell Him and Avinu Malkeinu.

I loved blasting, Tell Him in the car while my husband was driving. I would turn towards him and lip-sync along.

Thank goodness he kept his eyes on the road, while mine would sometimes water with emotion.

As I write this next part, I am listening to your, Avinu Malkeinu.

It’s hauntingly beautiful.

Through the years, I have kept tabs on you.

I would devour anything written about you in magazines or the newspapers.

And even though we don’t share the same political views, I still love you.

One night I was in bed minding my own business on YouTube, when I came across the title, “Barbra Streisand on her long-awaited memoir”.

My heart skipped a beat, I had no idea you were writing one.

I immediately clicked on the link and watched your interview with Gayle King.

I loved it and I love how you set up your “collectibles” in your basement.

As soon as I could, I ordered my copy of, My Name Is Barbra through Amazon.

Of course it had to be the hardcover.

One fine night, I was holding your book in my hands.

Your very heavy book in my hands.

Autobiographies are my favorite, yours is 970 pages long!

I think you said it took you around 10 years to write?

I don’t keep paper covers, but yours is so striking, I decided to keep it. I did remove it and will put it back on once I have finished reading your book.

I love how smooth the pages feel, but like you, Barbra, I have to be honest. More than once I have told my husband that I wish you had written your book in two books, sold in a box set.

I have long fingers and your book still feels awkward in my hands due to its thickness.

But, I still love you.

I so wanted to handle your book with extra care, because this was Barbra’s life I was holding in my hands.

I was doing pretty good until I dropped some salad from my fork on page 45.

I gasped. I stared at the salad plop.

I removed the salad plop and stared at its stain.

I had a moment of silence.

Then I decided that I was going to loosen up and really enjoy this book.

So, I did. When I finished reading it for the night, instead of finding a proper bookmark, I lovingly folded down the page.

And I knew that I would be taking it to work, to read it out loud to Stella (not her real name)…

I have worked as a Caregiver for the elderly for many years.

Around four years ago, I removed myself from working “the floor” and instead, started working what we call “one on one”. (Working with one resident only.)

Last year in January, I started working with Stella.

Stella was in her early 70s, which is pretty young when you’re surrounded by others in their 80s, 90s, and sometimes nearing the grand 100.

Stella had a good head of hair, a twinkle in her eye, and a wonderful sense of humor.

Although Stella had lost the ability to talk in complete sentences, she did understand what you were saying.

I kept Stella company, and I would make sure she made it to the scheduled activities.

One of Stella’s favorite things to do was to go to Starbucks for a cold chai.

We would take the company car, hit up the drive-thru and go for a little drive.

Stella loved music and so the radio was always on 1400 for her, a station that played music from way back when.

Stella knew just about every song that was playing and did her best to sing along, sprinkling words here and there…

Eventually, Stella slowed down and she was no longer able to make the trip to Starbucks.

Then one day, she was put on hospice.

It was during this time, when I started reading your book out loud to her.

I knew that Stella enjoyed being read to because we had already finished one other autobiography about the Holocaust that took place in the Netherlands.

I figured since Stella loved music so much, surely, she would know who you were.

And she did!

When we got to chapter 24, The Way We Were, I took out my phone and played the song out loud for her.

I love that song. My favorite lines are, Can it be that it was all so simple then? Or has time rewritten every line?

The days went by, and Stella got quieter and quieter, but I continued to read out loud to her.

One day I sincerely asked her if she recognized me. Before she could respond, I said, “Stella, do you remember when we would go to Starbucks for your cold chai?”

She was looking right into my eyes.

Her eyes filled with tears which caused mine to fill too.

Stella passed away some days after this in late January of this year. We got as far as page 413 in your book.

Love, Missy

P.S. Dear Reader, If you personally know Barbra Joan Streisand, please pass this letter to her. I have tried in many ways to email it to her, but it’s not working. Thank you so much.

~missy salcido wead