My Hero: My Grandmother

Any time I was with a group, whether it be work related or a crafting club, there would be an icebreaker. Icebreakers usually involved different kinds of questions which would allow others to get to know you better and vice versa.

Without fail, the same question would surface: Who is your hero and why?

Many people chose political figures, sports figures, famous stars, singers, actors, and the such. There were those that were influenced by books or teachers that made an impact on their lives.

For me, it was consistently the same answer: My Grandmother.

It was always difficult to find a starting point on the why part because there are so many reasons Grandmom is my hero, so I just started making a list.

For as far back as I can remember, Grandmom never lost her temper. She has the patience of a saint.

When Grandmom hugs you it's genuine and heartfelt. It's not one of those air pats on the back with space between the two of you, it's a real heart to heart hug.

She sang songs to us that no one else in the world seemed to know. Dance with a Dolly with a hole in her stocking was one of them. She would accompany this song with a wooden man hanging from a stick, much like a puppet. And although I do not have a wooden man like that, I sing this song to my grandson while bouncing him on my knee. It occurs to me that the bouncing makes my grandson's legs as spindly as that wooden doll. (When is the last time you heard spindly used in a sentence?) You could never be bored with Grandmom around, it just wasn't possible.

Grandmom's laughter. If I were able to bottle up anything in the world, anything, I would choose my Grandmother's laughter. There is none like it in the entire world. If I was feeling sad, blue, depressed, down in the pit or defeated, I could open up the bottle and hear that laughter, which would cure every defeated feeling I possessed. There is magic in her laughter.

Her kitchen. At family gatherings, there was always hustle and bustle around the kitchen and the seating area. Grandmom would produce the biggest turkey or the biggest ham and begin to carve it. We could walk by and take a little piece. After the meal was done, a few of us would chip in and do the dishes. Doing the dishes, for me, was one of the loving ways to repay Grandmom for her hard work. It wasn't the same as doing the dishes at home, it was more special than that.

One of my favorite kitchen table memories were the times when we had the opportunity to stay for a week without anyone else. She took great interest in everything there was to learn about what was going on in our lives.

She let us bang on the piano to create "music" that she called Bee U Tee Full. In reflection, that piano playing was just noise, but not to my grandmother.

We would always be busy with many activities. She would take us swimming in a hotel pool. We would go to the ocean and walk the beach to find special shells. We also got the chance to taste new foods. I am grateful that I do not have the food hang-ups that others have, they just don't know what they are missing to experience the adventure of trying something new.

About this time, the function leader would cut me off. I took too long and there were others that "needed to be heard".

Big sigh.

They didn't know what they were missing. I had so much more to say.

So to you, Grandmom, you are My Hero. You always will be. If there was a trophy or award to give, you would certainly deserve it, without a doubt.

My hope to be at least half the grandmother you are to me.

I love you.