Most Influential Person (MIP)

My granny was a MIP, she was most influential person in my life growing up. Without her, I'm not sure I would have learned what hard work was, nor would I have the attitude I have, I would not be a volunteer, I would not be spiritually grounded, I would not cherish reading, I would not cherish nature. Every morning my grandmother would wake up at the CRACK of dawn, kneel down on the those strong tree trunk looking legs of hers and pray on a stool near the kitchen window....if you ran up on her trying to talk she would straight ignore you, I made that mistake a few times as a child. She would open the window, look outside, smell the fresh air, and literally began to just thank God.

I know I got my work ethic from my grandmother. I watched her be a wife, a mother, a housekeeper, a civil rights speaker, a church goer, an everything. She would drag me with her to the "sick and shut-ins for our church" I remember helping her clean up for women that were drug addicts, alcoholics, she worked her fingers to the bone. She always wanted to help people.

In terms of her everyday job, she worked for a very RICH, Jewish family the Tinkles (yes that's their real name), they were nice people, I use to play with all their stuff when I would go to work with my grandmother, I pretended that their house was my house, I would chase their dog Twinky around the entire house, I loved that dog, he was a Pomeranian. My grandmother taught me that life had a lot to offer, and little did I know that when she would take me with her to work in the summer she was teaching me how to be somebody.

I woke up this morning with her on my mind, and knew when my face was wet with tears that I needed to write, I miss her so much. I really wish she was here to witness the birth of my first child, I wish she could have met my wonderful husband, there are so many things that I wish she could see, some how I know she is watching over me though. In my grandmother's last days, I asked her if she thought leaving Texas was a good idea, I had just left a worthless relationship, I had been promoted to work for the corporate office of Time Warner and they wanted me to move, this was a real turning point in my career/life....anyway, I asked her what she thought, she told me to go...she said it's time for you to go...get married....he's there, and guess what she was right. The whole time I was driving up to VA after my granny passed, I kept seeing butterflies at every rest stop, and that was one of our favorite things to look at outside in her garden as a child, she and I would always point them out while working together.

Sometimes I think my husband is an angel that my grandmother sent to me. He has the biggest heart, really. Each day that we are married I know I married the right person more and more each day. Anyway, I'm all, emotional, the screen is starting to look blurry....ttyl...love. Be thankful. I hope you all had someone in your life that touched you with so much joy too..