My grandmother has always been the matriarch of my family. At nearly 90 years old, she has always been the wheel that has kept our family moving forward. She has always been compassionate, kind, curious and invested, but has also been firm and authoritative. 

My father always used to tell a story of how he would be playing with friends in Queens, and no matter where they were, his mother would be able to scream his name from their front porch and he’d hear her. Consider it her superpower; she can strike fear into you in the most loving way possible.

There really isn’t much she cannot do, except see. Although her eyesight has deteriorated to a very extreme level, that doesn’t stop her from living alone with the minimal help she receives from family to buy groceries and visit doctors. Of course, she often has company, so she’s not truly alone, but that is simply a testament to how loved she is by all.

When I think of stories, my mind immediately runs to a plethora of happy moments. As a child, some of the happiest days at school were when I would come home to find out that my grandmother, who at the time lived in Florida, was visiting. Granted, I’m sure I had been told prior, but as a kid, who remembers that kind of stuff? So, I would come home, and there would be my grandmother, waiting to give me a hug. She’d listen to me tell her about my day and help me with homework…it was like having a friend over. Who wouldn’t want that from a loved one?
My all time favorite memory of my grandmother comes from visiting her in Florida. As a kid, my parents would often fly my brother and I down to visit while they stayed behind, presumably happy to have a week of alone time. While there, my grandmother would have us do all sorts of fun things like go to arcades, nice restaurants and the beach. But my specific memory came after one of those wonderful days, at night before going to bed.

As my brother and I were winding down for the day, my grandmother entered our room with a jar filled with pennies and a deck of playing cards. It was here, on this night that I would learn how to play poker, “gambling” pennies at a time while laughing and having fun. She taught us Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud and even showed us some games that I wouldn’t play again until much later in life like Spades and Chicago. A lot of people of course know how to play poker…but how many can say that they learned how to play from their grandmother?
So yes, my grandmother taught me a lot in life. And still to this day, she is teaching and providing wisdom on a monthly basis. While her eyesight has not been kind to her as she has aged, her mind and compassion has never faltered. She is one of the strongest, smartest and most influential people I have ever met in my life. And how lucky am I, that she is my grandmother.

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