My parents had me when they were both very young, so grandma played a significant part in my upbringing. I truly will always consider her to be my second mother. Growing up, it became a routine for me to spend the weekends at her house. I would literally get mad at my mom if there was something else going on that prevented me from going over there. Some of my earliest memories are playing card games, mainly War, with her and Nani in her kitchen with the Golden Girls playing in the background. I spent so much time in that house…I mean I remember when she had these huge mirror panels in the kitchen that were so terrible looking back at it – I’m sure everyone can remember these. They were that bad. We would hang out at the Bly house next door, make fettuccini and pizza rolls for Brian and Brad, watch Miriam make her beautiful cakes across the street, sit on the back porch while she smoked a Salem, jam out to old tunes on 99.1 and listen to Delilah, go to Mickey D’s and Walmart, or Wolly World as she called it, go see a movie, travel out to a rock cavern or San Antonio…I mean she truly took me to do anything and everything. I thought grandma was so cool. I wanted to be just like her. She was always keeping up with what was trendy and loved staying up to date with new fashion trends. ALWAYS was dressed to the nines and getting her hair done. She was my best friend…she was my role model. She was basically my everything for so long. Her home was my safe haven and she always made sure that I was happy.
Grandma was such a HARD worker and did everything to provide for her children and family. As a single mom, she picked up odd jobs in the beginning. I remember her working with Charlotte at Garden Ridge, running a maid service with Miriam and putting together floral arrangements. All sorts of little side hustles. Then, she landed a job at Rose Steel. I used to go to work at Rose Steel with her and remember running around that place with Renee’s grandchildren.
As I got older, she gave me my first car, came to all of my sporting events (even while working a full-time job across town), planned family vacations to go skiing and sledding, called me almost every single night just to talk about life and what was going on…I miss those phone calls more than anything right now. When I left for LSU, this is when grandma started to get sick without us even really realizing it at first. I would do anything to go back and just hear her voice. It’s unfair what Alzheimer’s did to her and took from her…but you know what, she fought it with every ounce of her being and stuck around for us so much longer than anyone could’ve thought at times. I wouldn’t wish that disease on anyone, but it just still breaks my heart to this day knowing that it had to happen to her. She dreamed of one day retiring and traveling, especially to Poland, and I wish that I could’ve given that to her.
She is literally the most selfless person that I’ve ever met in my life. None of us realized how little she made until she got sick because she was always giving us EVERY SINGLE gift on our Christmas and birthday lists. I mean every single thing to every single person in her family. I remember going to her house on Christmas and the tree was just STACKED with presents. Not only was she selfless in this sense, but she just also gave us all of her attention and care…her entire being. You needed her, she was there.
Grandma cared more than anyone and loved more than anyone. Her life and how she lived it truly encompasses the definition of unconditional love and I’m so glad that this trait has been instilled in me and in our family. The kind of love Grandma felt for us and others was a love without condition. She may not have approved of everything we did, may not have liked some of the decisions we made, but she didn’t lecture…she didn’t judge. She just kept loving us, letting us know that she was there and if we ever needed her, we could count on her to listen, to console, to help…we were the most important people in the world to her. And while giving us so much, she didn’t expect anything in return. She truly lived her life for us…to make our lives better and was so proud of us. We can never forget that there is a part of her in each of us, something that she gave to us and asked nothing for in return.
She was my best friend. Just as the earth revolves around the sun, she was the matriarch of my family and the center of our world…she was just our everything. Her departure from this earth will leave a void in us that will never be able to be filled, but we all need to go forward living just as grandma did and would’ve wanted us to. And that is to LOVE and to be the very best version of ourselves possible. I know she’s up there with her mom and dad and is so, so proud of us for being together to celebrate and remember her. There is nothing more that grandma loved than having her family together. Grandma, you shaped who I am, you shaped who my Emmy is and who my son will be, and you just influenced all of us so greatly. I’m so glad that you got to meet Emmy. I wish you’d be here to meet my son, but I know a piece of you will be born into him. I love you grammy. There is a special corner of my heart that you will always live in. I’ll miss you every day for the rest of my life and I know that one day we will be together again. You’re free from this disease and finally flying high with God and your parents. You were our sunshine and we will always feel your love radiating down on us.
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