the strongest person i've ever met
this entry is going to be basically very schmaltzy. deal, bitches.
i went to falmouth this past weekend to get photos taken w/my brother and sister (favor to the pops; only to happy to oblige), and after we were all done i drove my yia yia (grandmother) back to the house from the cape cod mall in hyannis. i dont see her as often as i used to when she lived in whitman (this is the woman whose house i lived in for a while there), and i do miss both her and my great-grandmother (who i got to visit in the nursing home on sunday evening). but over the course of that 35 minute ride from hyannis to falmouth, i was caught up thinking about what an amazing person she is.
here's a woman who was twice married, and quickly divorced both times. she raised two children without benefit of a husband, went to BU and became a teacher, and then went on to chair the business department at whitman-hanson. she's a brilliant lady, has a great sense of humor, and may be one of the most generous people you could ever hope to meet. on top of that, after her father died she became her mother's most faithful companion, and as HER strength flagged also became her 24/7 caretaker. my great-grandmother is now 99 years old, and is still alive thanks to the care my grandmother gave her. to this day, my grandmother goes dutifully to that nursing home and sits with her mother to keep her company, even though the poor woman cant barely talk and on most days is afflicted by demensia to the point of only being able to utter a few phrases in her native language (greek). i cant possibly imagine going through everything that my grandmother has...but to do it with the smile she ALWAYS has on her face is absolutely mind-boggling. i havent been as good about visiting her as i should have been over the years; i did my best to get her into a good car when her chevy needed to go, and when i'm able to do the little things that go along with helping her to maintain it i do feel that much better about the whole thing. people say that women like my grandmother come along once in a lifetime, and i can only count myself as lucky enough to have known and learned from her for the past 23 years.
one day, she'll pass on...and the world will be far worse off for it. ::shakes head:: and the lives she's touched will never be quite the same. till then - i guess i've just gotta make the most of what time i have with her, eh??
i love you, yia yia.
(told you it'd be schmaltzy.)
i went to falmouth this past weekend to get photos taken w/my brother and sister (favor to the pops; only to happy to oblige), and after we were all done i drove my yia yia (grandmother) back to the house from the cape cod mall in hyannis. i dont see her as often as i used to when she lived in whitman (this is the woman whose house i lived in for a while there), and i do miss both her and my great-grandmother (who i got to visit in the nursing home on sunday evening). but over the course of that 35 minute ride from hyannis to falmouth, i was caught up thinking about what an amazing person she is.
here's a woman who was twice married, and quickly divorced both times. she raised two children without benefit of a husband, went to BU and became a teacher, and then went on to chair the business department at whitman-hanson. she's a brilliant lady, has a great sense of humor, and may be one of the most generous people you could ever hope to meet. on top of that, after her father died she became her mother's most faithful companion, and as HER strength flagged also became her 24/7 caretaker. my great-grandmother is now 99 years old, and is still alive thanks to the care my grandmother gave her. to this day, my grandmother goes dutifully to that nursing home and sits with her mother to keep her company, even though the poor woman cant barely talk and on most days is afflicted by demensia to the point of only being able to utter a few phrases in her native language (greek). i cant possibly imagine going through everything that my grandmother has...but to do it with the smile she ALWAYS has on her face is absolutely mind-boggling. i havent been as good about visiting her as i should have been over the years; i did my best to get her into a good car when her chevy needed to go, and when i'm able to do the little things that go along with helping her to maintain it i do feel that much better about the whole thing. people say that women like my grandmother come along once in a lifetime, and i can only count myself as lucky enough to have known and learned from her for the past 23 years.
one day, she'll pass on...and the world will be far worse off for it. ::shakes head:: and the lives she's touched will never be quite the same. till then - i guess i've just gotta make the most of what time i have with her, eh??
i love you, yia yia.
(told you it'd be schmaltzy.)