Today is International Women's Day and I thought what better way to celebrate extraordinary women than to celebrate one of the most wonderful women in my life, my grandma.
My grandma has been my #1 fan and best buddy since the day I was born. She is the epitome of a great woman; strong, caring, hard working and she knows when to just laugh and let things roll off her back. She has been a loyal wife to my grandfather for 59 years (in August). She has been a wonderful mother to her three sons and an amazing grandmother to her seven grandchildren.
My grandma has taught me many lessons through life that have helped my evolve and grow into the woman I am today. Here are just 7 of the lessons that my grandma has taught me throughout my life:
1. Have Faith- My grandma has always told me that God is always sending us signs that things are going right in life or during the bad times, he sends us signs that everything is going to be ok. My grandma says it's God winking at us. One day, when I was about 8 years old, I was at my grandparents camp on them St. Lawerence River and I told my grandma that I had never seen a shooting star before. She said, "Well, we'll have to change that. We'll go outside tonight when it gets dark and look for a shooting star". That night we went out, sat by the river and looked up at the sky. It was a perfectly clear summer night and stars were beautiful. We were only out there for a few minutes when we saw not one but TWO shooting stars right in a row, both coming off of the big dipper. God winked at us twice that night.
2. Memories are more precious than any material objects- Every year since I was 13 years old, my grandma has taken me on a special trip to NYC. Each year, we always come home with a crazy story to tell and a lot of wonderful memories. We've had tea at the Plaza Hotel, we've ridden in a horse and buggy through central park, rode a rickshaw through he streets of NYC (and were pretty scared for our lives LOL), took pictures with the Naked Cowboy, and saw Mamma Mia on Broadway. I have so many amazing memories with my grandma and they are more precious to me than gold.
3. How to find a great deal- Even if it means following someone through allyways in NYC for a knockoff designer purse.
4. Never give up on your dreams- There have been many times in life that I've wanted to just give up and my grandma has always encouraged me to keep going and promised me things would get better if I just work hard. She has proved to me many times for this to be true and I wouldn't be half as successful as I am today without the support and encouragement of my grandma!
5. Don't sweat the small stuff- My grandma has told me that there have been times in her life when she thought things couldn't get any worse. She told me that I'll have days like this too, it's a part of life but when times do get rough, always remember "This too shall pass". And she always reminds me that everything in life happens for a reason.
6. Be kind to others- One time when my grandma and I were sitting in Bryant Park in NYC, a homeless woman came up to us politely asking for money. We said no and she moved on to a man sitting next to us. He was very rude to her and said "Get away from me." My grandma called her back over and gave her a dollar. The woman was very grateful and thanked her many times. I asked my grandma why she did that and she said that the man had no right to be rude to her like that. Even though she may not even be homeless and will probably use the money for the wrong reasons, you're still helping her by letting her know she's not alone. You never know what someone's life is like or what they may be going through. Always be kind to others no matter who they are or where they come from.
7. Enjoy life- My grandma has the best sense of humor and best laugh. Sometimes we'll get laughing so hard that tears are streaming down our faces. She has taught me to laugh often and enjoy life, every minute of it!
So today for International Woman's Day, and everyday, I celebrate you grandma. You have not only taught me how to be a good person but how to be a great woman. If I'm even half of the woman you are someday, I'll consider myself lucky. You will forever be my shopping partner and forever my best friend. I love you to the moon and back!
