My Role Model

My grandma was my best friend. She had the most infectious smile, laughter, and overall personality. If I could use one word to describe her, it would be rare. I say that because she was selfless, brave, happy, faithful, loving, strong, influential, and impactful. Now, I realize these are common adjectives to use to describe someone. However, in this post, I hope to capture all that she was to share with you.

Let me start at the beginning. My grandma was a single mom of three children. My mom was the firstborn, followed by my two uncles. Her husband left her for another family when my mom was only 10 years old. However, she did not let her life stop because her husband left. Yes, she was hurting for years but she focused on what mattered most to her. Her family and God. My grandma was determined to send all three of her kids to Catholic Grade School and High School. She used to look between couch cushions to find spare change. While managing her family, she also went back to night school to become a nurse. She ended up becoming the nurse she always dreamed of becoming despite all the obstacles thrown at her. She accomplished so much on her own, but she said she could never have done all that without the love of God.

When I was born, we became inseparable. She would volunteer at school, pick me up from school, help me with homework, hold me when I was sad, make me my favorite cookies, and overall, just made everything better. I considered her to be my second mom. I remember her being around all the time. Whether that was to take care of me, support my mom, or just help out around the house, she was there. Even with her busy schedule of being a nurse, she still made the time for her family. One of the biggest lessons I learned from her is that God and family are the two most important things on Earth. Everything else is secondary. We need to make time for those we love, even if it is difficult. She was a prime example of practicing what she preached.

My grandma was a red diamond. Like a red diamond, she was extremely rare and highly valuable in this world. I, among many people, looked up to her in so many ways. You would never catch my grandma being upset. She was simply always happy. One fun fact about her, is that her favorite color was yellow. The color yellow represents warmth, happiness, and energy, which is who she was as a person. Her laughter was honestly her biggest personality trait. She could laugh at a tooth paste commercial and within seconds have the entire room laughing with her! Her laughter is one of the things I miss most about her.

Sadly, my grandma passed away on October 22nd, 2022, after battling a 3-month battle of stage 4 esophageal cancer. On July 8th, our world shattered when we received the news of her diagnosis. However, on October 22nd our world was destroyed when she breathed her final breath. However, she did pass peacefully. Me, along with her children, her two siblings and some of her grandchildren, were all there with her as she made the transition to Heaven. We all stood around her hospital bed, said the Hail Mary, and within minutes she went home to Heaven. As destroyed as we all were, there was a level of comfort knowing she was no longer suffering and was reunited with God in Heaven. Before she went home to God, I asked her to send us a yellow sunset from Heaven to show us she was still with us. That night, she did.

Today, February 13th, 2025, would have been her 82nd birthday. I wanted to write this post specifically on her birthday to remember and honor the amazing woman that she was. If you still have grandparents, please, give them a call. Talk to them. Even if you do not have a close relationship with them, just give them a call to let them know you love them. Yes, grandparents are older, but they are wiser. That old saying does have truth to it. To a degree, they have already lived through the season you find yourself to be in right now. I would give anything to give my grandma a call again, so please don't wait until it is too late to talk to your grandparents. Always remember, you are not alone.