My grandma was a strong woman

@sissy15 (12269)
United States
June 1, 2017 7:33pm CST
Sometimes I look back on my grandma's life (my mom's mom) and think about how hard she had it and yet she never once complained. My grandma lived through a lot of bad events and she just kept moving forward doing her best to raise her children. My grandma lost her mom and dad at a very young age, and she watched her dad die. She was then sent to live with her dad's parents to live and I'm not entirely sure how her life was there, I do know she suffered from Saint Vitus dance which had her bedridden (I don't know much about what that is, I looked it up once but forgot the details). She then got married to my grandpa who spent most of the money he earned on alcohol and he would drink and according to my mom, he could be very mean at times. She had the RH negative blood type and back then they didn't have the shot they give now before and after you have the baby and my grandma lost 8 of her 16 babies after birth. Most lived a day or two after birth and she had to watch as they died. My one uncle was born with severe cerebral palsy and wasn't able to walk, talk, or hear. They wanted to take him from her but she refused. My uncle wasn't supposed to live past the age of 5 but lived to be 72 he died last April. My grandma often took on extra jobs to help with household funds while raising her children one of them who needed a lot of extra attention due to his disabilities. Then my one aunt died in a car accident way before I was born leaving behind her 4 kids and the kids' abusive father took off with them so not only did my grandma lose her daughter but she also lost her grandchildren because they were unable to find them for a long time. My grandma lived through all of this and was still this amazing person and she didn't complain about how hard her life was, she just kept moving forward and continued to be a great mother and grandmother. My mom says her mom used to take her out to the outhouse late at night when she was little and it'd be in the middle of winter and my grandma would stay right there with her until she was done and not once did my grandma complain. My mom says she always felt loved because of the person her mom was. My grandma was this amazing person who lived through so much and yet was still a great person. My grandma always made it a point to be in my life and she died when I was only 5 but I still have so many wonderful memories of her. I have noticed a lot of the older generation doesn't complain much about their past because that's just how life was back then and they just had to deal with it, they didn't see the sense in complaining about something they couldn't change. Now we all complain and that's just part of life. I am not saying complaining is a bad thing because it can release a lot of tension and it makes us mentally healthier in some ways, depending on exactly what you're complaining about. Back then they really didn't believe in mental illness the way they do now. They expected you to just suck it up and deal. We now have a lot more resources at our disposal including a lot of research that proves not everything is just in our head so to speak. Back then no one wanted to hear it, they expected you to do what you had to do and deal. Regardless, a lot of tough people came from that generation. I miss my grandma, she was an amazing person. She'd be 105 if she were alive today, her birthday was on Mother's day this year. She was an amazing woman and I have found myself missing her more and more lately.
7 people like this
7 responses
@celticeagle (158615)
• Boise, Idaho
2 Jun 17
I can't imagine losing one baby but 8?! My grandmother was a great woman too. She was one of ten all who lived. She lived a hard, poor childhood. Mine lived to the age of 89. I miss mine nearly every day. She looked after me while my mom worked so I feel like she was a second mom to me. I know how you must feel about yours.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
2 Jun 17
Yeah, I can't imagine it. She had a really tough life. It's even harder yet because she actually physically had them she didn't miscarry them. She had to watch them die in front of her and I just can't imagine doing that one time let alone eight. She then lost her one daughter in a car accident years later. I know that had to haunt her. It's great that you had a grandma that you were close to too.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
4 Jun 17
@celticeagle It was horrible, and then add in the fact that she also watched her father die at a young age. I mean she lived a really tough life and yet she was this amazing person and to this day I look up to her. There is nothing quite like a grandparent/grandchild relationship. My son is close to my mom like I was to my mom's mom.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (158615)
• Boise, Idaho
2 Jun 17
@sissy15 ........That would be horrible. I can't imagine. Yes, my grams and I were very close.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
2 Jun 17
Sorry for your loss. She really does sound like an extremely strong woman.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
2 Jun 17
@sissy15 well. She had a choice. We all do. She just wanted to keep going and be a boss.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
4 Jun 17
@Courtlynn Well, to her it wasn't a choice.She did it because she felt she had to whether she actually did or not is a different story. She had people that depended on her and to her, that meant she had to keep going. I often look at it that way too, I mean yeah I could quit but really nothing would get better that way if you want things to get better then you don't have one. It depends on how you look at it.
1 person likes this
@prashu228 (37526)
• India
2 Jun 17
I miss my grandmother. Have a great day
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94245)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
2 Jun 17
I know what you mean. My late grandmother taught my aunts and uncle to respect people of all races and religions. She passed away in 1983 at the age of 92 in her home in Panama's countryside of Cocle province.
1 person likes this
• Abuja, Nigeria
2 Jun 17
wow what a old woman
1 person likes this
@Imperfet (130)
2 Jun 17
whoa, she was a tough woman?????by the way , she had sixteen kids !! Well that 's a fact
1 person likes this
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
2 Jun 17
Really sorry about that. Anyhow, she is great for having lived 105 years. Great women...
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
2 Jun 17
She didn't live 105 years, she lived 80. She would be 105 years old today if she were alive but she isn't.