stolen from jameela's lj...
By Yousef Balahmar
My aunt read this to my grandmother right before she died, she died with a beautiful smile on her face.
MY HERO
There are many kinds of heroes in the world. There are fire fighters, policemen, and soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday. There are government leaders and religious leaders who spend their time making our lives better. Finally, there are the quiet heroes, the ones that do their job without complaint for the good of others. These quiet heroes include our parents, teachers, and our grandparents. One of my favorite heroes is my grandmother. She is a hard worker, she worries about everybody, and she always smiles.
My grandmother’s name is Stephania. She was born in Poland on December 31, 1933. Her family lived comfortably. She had one brother and lived happily with her parents and grandparents. They owned a big farm and even had horses. They enjoyed going to the ballet and to the theater. My grandmother loved school and her favorite subject was Math. She had dreams of becoming a math teacher. She had a wonderful childhood.
When World War II broke out in Poland; her family tried to go to Warsaw to get away from the bombing. On their way, a bomb exploded nearby and the shrapnel from the bomb hit her grandfather in the heart. They quickly went back home to get help but he died. When the Germans came into their town, they shot my great grandfather. The Germans let them live in a small house on the farm but later the Germans came back and took my grandmother away to work for a German family. She had to do laundry for them, clean and take care of their children. When this happened she was only eleven years old! Other people would have been miserable but my grandmother said she was lucky because the German family was nice to her.
When she was fourteen years old, the Russians invaded Poland and this scared the Germans. They started to leave their homes to go back to Germany. My grandmother told me it was three o’clock in the morning when the German woman who she worked for woke her up and told her to go home. She was on her way home and a battle broke out between the Germans and the Russians. She said she ran the whole way home until she ran into a German soldier who held her at gun point. Once again my grandmother said she was lucky because she recognized the soldier as a neighbor and when she explained who she was he walked her the rest of the way home to keep her safe. Once again she said that she was lucky because in her home she found her grandmother and two aunts and she wouldn’t have to be alone. Sometime later my great grandmother was able to get two boat tickets to America.. My grandmother bravely told her to go and take her brother, since he was so much younger. She stayed behind and took care of my great-great grandmother who soon died from stomach cancer. A year later, after working with a lawyer in the United States, my great grandmother got a plane ticket for my grandmother to join them in America. You would think that this is the happy ending, but not yet! On her way to America, my grandmother’s plane crashed in Puerto Rico! She said she was lucky because no one got hurt badly! Two days later she finally made it to America and her life here, which is another story!
My grandma is my hero because she went through all that pain and suffering and she is still alive and happy. Whenever I have a bad day I think of my grand mom. She never gave up on everything. My grandmother always smiled and looked for a better day, a better future. I hope she never stops smiling. She always makes things better. She’s been through so much already that I don’t think she can go through anymore but she still keeps on smiling, even through the hurricanes! That’s why I think my grandma is so wonderful! She’s my hero.
My aunt read this to my grandmother right before she died, she died with a beautiful smile on her face.
MY HERO
There are many kinds of heroes in the world. There are fire fighters, policemen, and soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday. There are government leaders and religious leaders who spend their time making our lives better. Finally, there are the quiet heroes, the ones that do their job without complaint for the good of others. These quiet heroes include our parents, teachers, and our grandparents. One of my favorite heroes is my grandmother. She is a hard worker, she worries about everybody, and she always smiles.
My grandmother’s name is Stephania. She was born in Poland on December 31, 1933. Her family lived comfortably. She had one brother and lived happily with her parents and grandparents. They owned a big farm and even had horses. They enjoyed going to the ballet and to the theater. My grandmother loved school and her favorite subject was Math. She had dreams of becoming a math teacher. She had a wonderful childhood.
When World War II broke out in Poland; her family tried to go to Warsaw to get away from the bombing. On their way, a bomb exploded nearby and the shrapnel from the bomb hit her grandfather in the heart. They quickly went back home to get help but he died. When the Germans came into their town, they shot my great grandfather. The Germans let them live in a small house on the farm but later the Germans came back and took my grandmother away to work for a German family. She had to do laundry for them, clean and take care of their children. When this happened she was only eleven years old! Other people would have been miserable but my grandmother said she was lucky because the German family was nice to her.
When she was fourteen years old, the Russians invaded Poland and this scared the Germans. They started to leave their homes to go back to Germany. My grandmother told me it was three o’clock in the morning when the German woman who she worked for woke her up and told her to go home. She was on her way home and a battle broke out between the Germans and the Russians. She said she ran the whole way home until she ran into a German soldier who held her at gun point. Once again my grandmother said she was lucky because she recognized the soldier as a neighbor and when she explained who she was he walked her the rest of the way home to keep her safe. Once again she said that she was lucky because in her home she found her grandmother and two aunts and she wouldn’t have to be alone. Sometime later my great grandmother was able to get two boat tickets to America.. My grandmother bravely told her to go and take her brother, since he was so much younger. She stayed behind and took care of my great-great grandmother who soon died from stomach cancer. A year later, after working with a lawyer in the United States, my great grandmother got a plane ticket for my grandmother to join them in America. You would think that this is the happy ending, but not yet! On her way to America, my grandmother’s plane crashed in Puerto Rico! She said she was lucky because no one got hurt badly! Two days later she finally made it to America and her life here, which is another story!
My grandma is my hero because she went through all that pain and suffering and she is still alive and happy. Whenever I have a bad day I think of my grand mom. She never gave up on everything. My grandmother always smiled and looked for a better day, a better future. I hope she never stops smiling. She always makes things better. She’s been through so much already that I don’t think she can go through anymore but she still keeps on smiling, even through the hurricanes! That’s why I think my grandma is so wonderful! She’s my hero.