My Grandmother, My Idol

Grandmother, think for a moment, what does the the word mean to you?

What is your first thought, your first emotion? What do you think when you hear someone say… grandmother? To me, grandmother is more than a word, more than a title, more than a label that defines a familial relationship. Rather,  it is an aspiration.

Please, let me explain.

To be a grand is to strive to be the best. To be a mother is to be nurturing, protective, supportive and to love unconditionally. That is what my Grandmother is to me.  An inspirational nurturer who guided her family to freedom – physically, mentally and emotionally.

My Grandmother always understood, it seemed she knew me better than I knew myself. She saw, even when I didn’t. My Grandmother introduced me to a world of grace and innate nobility. She was a lady, not the pampered, vacuous kind, but a real lady, one who held herself with dignity, pride and compassion. A graceful individual who shouldered her responsibility and did what needed to be done.

Throughout my life, my Grandmother has been my mentor. She is the person I look to for hope, guidance, support and knowing. She is the person I look up to. She is the lady I want to emulate.

In fact, it was her story that fuelled mine.

I’m a writer because my grandmother made me so. I’m a strong, because my grandmother taught me how, I am focused because my grandmother led the way.

So whenever I fill in one of those personal development style surveys that ask ‘who do you admire’, my answer is always the same. I don’t write the name of a facile pop-star, hollow movie icon or ambitious sports hero. No, my idol, my hero is and always will be, Anyu – my Grandmother. I admire her indomitable spirit, her irreverent view of authority – a perspective that that paradoxically meant following rules … albeit tweaked to her satisfaction. I treasure her perseverance, her dogged determination, her grace, her poise and her beauty. A beauty that came from deep within.

My aunt recently reminded me that a tree is as strong as its roots. My Grandmother gave our family its roots and boy, are they strong. Roots steeped in love, commitment to family and a determination to be the master of our own success. She was the matriarch of our family. She gave us hope, independence and courage.

That is what I think when I hear the word, Grandmother.