My grandma, Phuong Thi Hoang, was born on January 1st 1930, in Long An, Vietnam- a rural village which, at the time, did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. She met and later married my grandfather, Nguyen Van No and together they had eight children, six of whom survived. My grandma raised six kids as a single parent during the Vietnam war after my grandpa passed away. My grandma embodied the Vietnamese saying: lòng mẹ bao la như biển thái bình (a mother’s love is as vast as the ocean). Her love for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren transcends beyond word and time. To know my grandma was to know love and family. It is impossible to explain why things happen the way they do or where life will take us, but we can only hope to land on solid ground. I believe that is what my grandma has given us: a solid foundation to grow and a family to love