Happy birthday, Grandma-mom!!
Today is my grandma(mom's mom)'s 89th birthday (though if you saw her, you would never be able to tell her age, she looks probably 70 at most!). "Mom" (as all us grandkids have been calling her for forever, which got a little confusing when everyone was together) is TINY. I'm probably a head taller than her, which is always fun for pictures. I think I have one from when I was fifteen and getting confirmed and she's just staring up at me.... Wonder where that picture is...
It's so hard to find the right words... I've started thinking about something I wrote about her a while ago, and thought I would repost it now as I don't think I could say it as eloquently now as I did then:
For as long as I remember, my grandfather was always the person I considered to be my first best friend in the whole wide world. He was there to kiss my tears away when I got hit first in dodgeball after just five seconds of being in the game, and he was there to drive me to the nearest grocery store (Bunny Market or Chamorro Mart, I could take my pick) to buy candy to bribe the other kids to be my friends again, and he was there to bring me sandwiches and an ironed uniform for me early in the morning. He was there even at the end, to smile at me through his pain, and let me know that even though he couldn't remember his name, let alone mine, he could never forget how much he loved me. He could refuse to shower, refuse to eat, refuse to sleep, but he could never refuse to see me, and only me. He could turn away everyone else who tried to help him, turn away from his wife, and his kids, but he could not turn away my hand when it was held out to him. He was the best and truest epitome of "friend til the end."
While my grandfather was my friend, it was my grandmother who was the caretaker. She was the one who never seemed to play favorites among all fifteen of her grandchildren. With her generous and caring spirit, she was the one who blew our noses, made sure our backs were dry, and gave us water every single hour. She was the one who cooked our meals, making sure every single one of us had enough to eat even though her abilities in the kitchen were a bit limited to 1) egg and rice mixed with ketchup, 2) spam and rice mixed with ketchup, 3) vienna sausage and rice mixed with ketchup, 4) ichiban ramen and rice (not mixed with ketchup), and 5) fried chicken and rice with ketchup (not mixed, this was a special treat). She also made some really good fried rice with just oil and garlic. She was the one who had a hand in raising all of us, while her children were at work.
Her youngest charge is now sixteen years old (well, he's actually 20 now) and no longer needs to be watched over, and she is now about 84 years old (89 years old now!), but my grandmother is still doing her part to make sure her family is being taken care of. She will spend almost all day praying for her loved ones, because there are so many people who exist in this world because of her. She makes sure she speaks to all of her children every day, and checks to make sure everyone is okay. She will give when you ask, and even when you won't. She is the strongest woman I know. Not only because she has endured the death of her husband, and at least two children, as well as every sister she has, but because even after 84 years (89!), she still has the strength to care about more than just herself; she has the strength to forgive when she is at an age that doesn't require for it anymore; and she still has the strength to love, smile, and laugh, even when things aren't going her way.
My grandma is about 4'9, which means she can probably qualify for half priced meals in Vegas and a handicapped parking space as a midget in New Jersey. I have several pictures of me towering over her as she looks up at me, and it isn't even just me. Everyone in our family over the age of sixteen is at least a head taller than she is. She is a tiny, tiny, lady. But she is our family's heart. She is where we learned to be generous, compassionate, and patient. She always told us to drink water and use the bathroom, but what she really taught us was to love and forgive.
She is the thread that's woven our family together; the very reason so many of us are here. It was her home we grew up in; where we played, laughed, cried, lived. She is one of the strongest people I know--in mind, body, and heart...
I wonder if I can ever be that strong... I can only hope!
Happy birthday, Mom! I miss you so! Drink water, and be good! I'll be having several glasses of water myself! :)
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