My Grandmother, My Angel
Sylvia Mary "Wally" Goodridge born March 3, 1937, passed away on Sunday, December 8th, 2013 at the age of 76 years old. She's best known as Grammy!
Are there ever enough words to thank and pay tribute to the woman that raised you? I think not. My grandmother was my caretaker, my advice giver, my cheerleader, my reason for having faith in humanity, and my reason for committing my life to helping others. There simply aren't enough words to honor someone who means so much to me.
My grandmother has been a huge part of my life from the day I was born. She lived with us my whole life. To describe the emptiness left in our home is impossible. She has left a void that can never be filled. To know her love is the purest love one can receive.
She woke me up in the mornings, made sure I got to school on time, picked me up from school, made my meals, played with me, took me with her wherever she went, and as I grew and developed became my biggest motivator. She was the one person I knew I could say anything to and she wouldn't judge me, well except for my natural hair anyway; she wasn't a fan of the 'fro. She prayed for me, encouraged me, fought for me, and made sure that everyone knew I was her special girl.
My Grammy was a woman of God, and until she became ill her life revolved around family, church, and politics. She was always in the community giving of herself in some way. All of the kids in our neighborhood know her and call her Grammy. In fact, I think everyone who encounters her calls her Grammy, because she was the epitome of Grandmother. She took in all of my friends and called them her own. She embraced and shared with everyone she met. She showed her love through cooking and always made sure there was plenty of food to go around. I think everyone who knows her can remember a meal or two with Grammy.
My Grammy was also the inspiration for the career I've chosen for myself. Seeing her give of herself, being a resource for kids in need, and a counselor in her own way, to those who needed her, planted the seed for me. She was always helping kids in need. She instilled in me, by example, the importance of helping others. Growing up with that kind of energy around you, I guess there is no surprised it transferred to me.
I guess I also got the travel bug from her too, because she loved to travel. I know for sure she's been more places in the world than me. I definitely have some catching up to do. She was always going somewhere, only in recent years did that cease, because her health didn't permit. She traveled to be with me too. I remember I had important public exams in high school and to be sure I focused and studied, my grandmother flew to England and stayed with me on my school break. She made sure I stuck to my study schedule, fed me, and even drove me around, all while taking trips to Paris for fun. She never missed a beat.
For a woman who's taught me so much and gave so much of herself for me, I'm also very grateful that I was able to give back to her. I can never repay her for all she did for me, but through her illness I made sure I did as much as I could to be there for her. This past year was difficult and many times I felt helpless and like I couldn't take anymore, but it was the least I could do for her.
Grammy I saw you struggle, I saw you fight, I'm at peace because I know you're at peace. I thank you for your love and lessons. Until we meet again, I'm comforted in knowing that I have the best possible Angel around!
All my love,
Your Pooks
Are there ever enough words to thank and pay tribute to the woman that raised you? I think not. My grandmother was my caretaker, my advice giver, my cheerleader, my reason for having faith in humanity, and my reason for committing my life to helping others. There simply aren't enough words to honor someone who means so much to me.
My grandmother has been a huge part of my life from the day I was born. She lived with us my whole life. To describe the emptiness left in our home is impossible. She has left a void that can never be filled. To know her love is the purest love one can receive.
She woke me up in the mornings, made sure I got to school on time, picked me up from school, made my meals, played with me, took me with her wherever she went, and as I grew and developed became my biggest motivator. She was the one person I knew I could say anything to and she wouldn't judge me, well except for my natural hair anyway; she wasn't a fan of the 'fro. She prayed for me, encouraged me, fought for me, and made sure that everyone knew I was her special girl.
My Grammy was a woman of God, and until she became ill her life revolved around family, church, and politics. She was always in the community giving of herself in some way. All of the kids in our neighborhood know her and call her Grammy. In fact, I think everyone who encounters her calls her Grammy, because she was the epitome of Grandmother. She took in all of my friends and called them her own. She embraced and shared with everyone she met. She showed her love through cooking and always made sure there was plenty of food to go around. I think everyone who knows her can remember a meal or two with Grammy.
My Grammy was also the inspiration for the career I've chosen for myself. Seeing her give of herself, being a resource for kids in need, and a counselor in her own way, to those who needed her, planted the seed for me. She was always helping kids in need. She instilled in me, by example, the importance of helping others. Growing up with that kind of energy around you, I guess there is no surprised it transferred to me.
I guess I also got the travel bug from her too, because she loved to travel. I know for sure she's been more places in the world than me. I definitely have some catching up to do. She was always going somewhere, only in recent years did that cease, because her health didn't permit. She traveled to be with me too. I remember I had important public exams in high school and to be sure I focused and studied, my grandmother flew to England and stayed with me on my school break. She made sure I stuck to my study schedule, fed me, and even drove me around, all while taking trips to Paris for fun. She never missed a beat.
For a woman who's taught me so much and gave so much of herself for me, I'm also very grateful that I was able to give back to her. I can never repay her for all she did for me, but through her illness I made sure I did as much as I could to be there for her. This past year was difficult and many times I felt helpless and like I couldn't take anymore, but it was the least I could do for her.
Grammy I saw you struggle, I saw you fight, I'm at peace because I know you're at peace. I thank you for your love and lessons. Until we meet again, I'm comforted in knowing that I have the best possible Angel around!
All my love,
Your Pooks
Comments
Post a Comment