Happy Birthday Granny

You would be celebrating your 101st birthday today if God hadn’t called you home at 85 years old. Boy, what life you had. From being born very poor, to losing your father at nine years old, being a single parent with a newborn baby, raising my father single-handled until he was 10 years old and burying your son. 

One of the most important lessons life taught you at a young age is to appreciate what you have and to work hard for what you want. You passed those lessons on to me and they are my foundation. 

You were shy, not easy to get to know, and liked to be home. You didn’t need things or places to make you happy as long as you had Gramps. I’ve never seen someone love another so much as you two loved each other, every day until the end. 

You saved all the cards Gramps bought you over the years, he didn’t know and one day we were cleaning out a cabinet and there they were. He melted, his blue eyes were shining so bright. 

You were my backbone, you loved me when my mother didn’t. You raised me, worked hard to provide a better life than you had, and taught me lessons that helped me in life.

I’ve never known the unconditional love of another like yours.

I miss you every day and have so many great memories of our time together. Like when I was three years old and you were teaching me how to do laundry and I had my sunglasses on and dropped them in the washer. I just knew they were ruined. As I got a little older you put my little step stool by the sink next to you and I would rinse the dishes and put them to drain, as you cleaned the stove I would dry. 

As I grew older, you knew what I was doing on weekends, so you went behind Gramps back and would tell me not to take any medicine if it might interfere with alcohol.

You let me make my own decisions and let me deal with the consequences. When I said I wanted to get married at 18 years old, you approved. When I divorced at 19 years old you told me life was hard. 

Thank you for every lesson and every day we had together, I would not be the person I am today without your love and support. 

HUGS

Melinda