03/08/2023
I have blessed to be surrounded by incredible women throughout my life. One, in particular has stood out in my mind these last 6 weeks: my grandma 💗.
Exactly one week away from her 99th birthday, I was honoured to be next to her for her last night, her last morning & her very last breath. She was one the most influential people in my life; my mom- another amazing woman in my life- was back to work when I was 6 weeks old & my grandma WAS my daycare. I loved hearing her stories when she was a kid: how she was a star athlete, a top student graduating summa cm laude 👩🏻🎓, how as an elementary school teacher for 35 years, she would line her students up checking that their hair was combed, nails were clean & teeth were brushed every morning 🪥. Her accomplishments were something I strived for; her stories of the“way it used to be” fascinated me.
As news of her passing reached more family & friends though, I began to hear stories that I had never heard of before. Stories that she never shared with me. Her warmth & sense of humour shone through when she would take her nieces & nephews home after school riding a jeepney 🚌 & they had the best time talking about their day; how she would go to the market every weekend to buy fresh flowers 💐 (her favourite) & loved changing the decor in her home so much that her friends & neighbours would tease her (nope, you would think she would have told me that given my profession, but she didn’t!). The most striking stories about her strength & courage were during WWII: she was the eldest & she would round up her younger sisters from their house in Manila & run into the hills hide in the caves in the Philippines 🏞️to avoid Japanese soldiers & when she married my grandpa in church on Christmas Eve, there were bombs being dropped & explosions overhead 💣💥.
She was more amazing & incredible than I ever thought she was- and I’m sure that you have a woman in your life who has so many more stories to tell- maybe she’s just waiting for you to ask! Join the global celebration with the women in your life today & if you are a woman- celebrate you! 🍾
