Grandma would've been 82 today
It's Grandma's birthday. I almost forgot again; it's been 12 years since she passed.
This was Grandma Jeanette, my Mom's Mom who co-parented me in Philly from when I was 5 to 15. I'd venture to say she was the most significant influence on me growing up. She cooked almost all my meals; I slept next to her bed every night (Mom lived separately in the upstairs apartment); and all holidays and special events happened with her.
I think was the boy Grandma always wanted, and (unfortunately) she seemed more attached to me than to her own daughter. I wish it hadn't turned out that way.
I realized today that I don't have one single digitized picture of Grandma, a situation which I'll need to rectify pronto. Instead I offer what I wrote to a friend on the 5th anniversary of her passing. I feel the same way today:
"It is almost inconceivable that she's been out of my life for five years now. But I know she's in a better place now, and the thought that she was proud of who I was and where I was going comforts me, esp. those times when I miss her the most.
Sometimes I close my eyes and concentrate real hard, so I can remember what her voice sounded like. And when I can remember her voice it makes me very happy.
I often go back to the Maya Angelou poem below when I think of my Grandma. I hope it in some way brings you warm memories of your Aunt as well."
Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.