Trung Du: A Woman of Kindness and Grace
If I close my eyes, I can hear my grandmother's voice, gentle and lulling. I've traveled back in time to a sweltering summer afternoon where my excited seven-year-old self is lying beside her. The white plantation shutters are raised over the windows, fending off the afternoon heat. There's the hum of the air conditioner working overtime to keep us cool. I roll to my side and my eyes travel over her wrinkled face. She turns to me and her eyes crinkle into a warm smile. I snuggle close to her. She smells of soap and fresh laundry.
Moments like that one have remained with me now that she is no longer with me. In those moments, she is steady, kind and a strong reminder of how I became the person I am today.
Growing up in the same household as my grandmother offered me a wonderful way of seeing the world. My grandmother often told me stories about her life as well as fantastical ones with talking animals and morals. She was the person who sparked my love for storytelling. She was also my personal “Yoda,” offering sagely advice and encouragement whenever I needed it.
Anyone who has met my grandmother would know that she was a never-ending basin of empathy. She felt for the world and all the people in it. She was the person who showed me what kindness towards people and all living beings looked like. For example, she never purposefully harmed any insects and always took the time to carefully place the spiders inhabiting our home outside. She never turned a blind eye to a person in need nor judged a person until she understood their story. She was always willing to stop and give them her last dollar or ask them if they were hungry.
My grandmother was a woman full of grace and love. She continues to inspire me to lead my life in a way that would make her proud. There’s never a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. But people who’ve left lasting impacts on our lives have a way of doing that to us.
I want to channel her loss into something productive for the world. She was a woman who loved greatly and was loved dearly. She wouldn’t have wanted any other elderly person to feel lonely. I don’t, either. I think it’s important for all people in society to help and support one another. In this fast-paced world, the elderly is a community that is oftentimes overlooked and under-appreciated. Many people forget that they still have so much to offer us. There are many untold stories and pieces of wisdom that they can pass onto us if we give them the chance to do so.
I would like to play a part in changing how the elderly are treated and viewed. I want to educate and inspire others to spread joy and kindness to the elderly. Everyone deserves to feel love and joy, especially the kind that my grandmother had and gave.
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Hayley Diep
Hayley Diep is a teacher, healthy food/living blogger at “Health Nut Hayley” and lover of all things nature related. You can usually find her with her nose in a book, on her bike somewhere, climbing something, or hanging out with her family.