Thankful

November 20, 2010-- the date my Grandmother, my Mom's Mom, my Ba passed away. She was such a wonderful, strong, caring and feisty lady. As children we spent so much time with her because once she moved to North Carolina when we were young, she was never more than a 2-3 hour drive away. She was a fabulous cook, quick-witted and always had some story to tell or advice to share (sometimes not what you wanted, but usually what you needed, to hear.)  I knew the day would come when she would no longer be with us but never realized just how hard it would be.  She was the backbone of my Mom's family, having raised 9 kids by herself after my grandfather passed away when her youngest was 3 years old.  She was and still is an inspiration to all of us. I remember talking to her on the phone last year when Sahil had his first ear infection and she was giving me advice as to what I needed to do and I now think to myself, I can't remember what I did from one kid to the next, how did she remember this stuff from 60 years ago?  It's because she was one smart woman!  She taught herself to speak and even read English, she was intuitive and progressive. As she grew older she paid little attention to what was "proper" in terms of old or outdated cultural "rules" but always did what was right and emotionally supported her family through whatever came their way.  She was very spiritual and nurturing especially when you needed it the most.  I can hear her voice and the sweet way she added "ma" to the end of her sentence when she was speaking to us grandkids in her loving tone.  I can also hear her fussing at us for being too loud and running around her house and wreaking havoc :) And I hope I never forget the sound of her infectious laugh that could fill up a room after a particularly funny story that more than likely she told!
So as Thanksgiving is this week I am so thankful for over 34 years of memories and advice from my Ba-- thankful she gave me my Mom, who is so much like her--strong, nurturing, quick-witted, and yes, a little stubborn!-- thankful my kids got to meet one of their great-grandmothers--thankful I went to Charlotte two weekends ago and got to tell her that I love her and goodbye and she told me the same--thankful her suffering was relatively short in the end--thankful and so proud to be her granddaughter--thankful that she will continue to be a guiding force for all of us--So incredibly thankful to have had her in my life! I love you Ba!