My Precious Gift

My fondest childhood memories are those times spent with my maternal grandmother. My parents married very young, due to my being conceived out of wedlock. I recall my grandmother living with us in those early days of my youth. If memory serves, she lived with us until I was seven years old.

My father was very strict, and he always reminded me that he must be that way in order to ensure that I grew up to be a decent, respectable young lady. He maintained that the many belt lashings I received were well founded and deserved and that I would understand why when I grew up and had children of my own. My grandmother resented the heavy hand of my father and was always there to comfort me whenever I was on the receiving end of one of those dreaded whippings.

When my grandmother married and moved away, it wasn't long afterwards that my parents divorced. Bickering over child support, my father's continuous habit of not showing up for visitation, and my mother's need to medicate herself with alcohol had become the norm. After the divorce, the only subsequent happy memories I can recall are the summers I spent at my grandmother's home. We would play cards and board games, snuggle up on the sofa to watch television, or just sit on the front porch and talk while we shelled green beans. She was always interested in what I had to say and listened with loving ear. I remember taking afternoon walks with her, picking blackberries along the way for a pie that never got baked, because the blackberries had been eaten by the time we returned home. My favorite times were when we went fishing together. She would always bait my hook, and take my fish off the line because I hated the idea of killing the worm or being cut by a fin. During all our times together, I would listen intently to all the wisdom she so lovingly provided. The memories of those childhood summers are the most precious that I own.

As I faced the hardships of becoming a wife and mother, she was there to give advice and lend support. Throughout my lifetime, she has provided financial assistance during hard times when I needed a little help getting back on my feet. She became equally attached to my daughter and has been the one great source of stability in both our lives. I have always felt that I could confide in her absolutely anything. She has never once let me down.

My grandmother is now in her 80s. It is heart-wrenching watching her become feeble and weak. I know I have precious few years left with her, and it breaks my heart. I am unsure how I will see the world without her in it. She is a precious gift given to me in this life, and I will never forget how special she makes me feel.