Anne R

My grandmother is and was my hero. She passed away a few years ago. She lived a very difficult life that was filled with tragedy. However she made it sparkle and shine.

My grandmother was a child of immigrants and grew up in a family that was very hardworking. She got married young, but unlike many women of that time period she had her own business and worked very hard. When her youngest child was only a kid my grandfather passed away from a heart condition. For the few years before he died he was constantly ill. Then, suddenly my grandmother was a single parent.

A few years later, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She recovered but sadly this wouldn't be the last time she was afflicted by cancer or tragedy. When I was young she ended up getting in a very bad car accident where her femur bone was shattered and left her unable to walk. In addition, my step-grandfather passed away in the accident, so once again she had to deal with losing the person she loved. A few years later she was again diagnosed with cancer, a tumor in her nose. She went on to barely be able to enjoy food, go blind, and partially deaf.

The thing that is crazy about this is that even though her life was filled with tragic events, she managed to make it beautiful. She laughed the whole time and gave me all the time in the world to pour my heart out to her about all of my issues. She had an overflowing amount of love and joy in heart that came from within. So many people loved her. I remember at her funeral we didn't expect many people to show up but it was just packed. There were so many people who had these memories of her that were just beautiful. Whenever I am going through something very difficult, I think of her and her courage and attitude. She is my hero for so many reasons. I love her deeply and I miss her everyday, but I am glad she went to heaven because she can even make heaven a better place.

Submitted by Anonymous

Inspiration