They're Called "Great" for a Reason

We have grandparents, and we have great grandparents. They're really only called great because they're extra old, but I don't like to think of it like that. I think they are called great because they are extraordinary. Age doesn't make a person great, their personality does! 

My great grandma (Gammy) passed away this week, and in this blog post I just want to talk about the things that made her great. 

This woman is the epitome of strength and she has inspired me my entire life. She graduated from Muskingum University a long time ago and then went straight into the work field. She married a mean mean man who no one liked, but this smart woman said SEE YA and became a strong, independent woman. She worked multiple jobs to raise her four kids, and she raised them well. When her daughter (my grandma) had my dad, she wasn't in the best place so my great grandma raised my dad for the majority of his childhood. This woman is everyones favorite. When she passed, I have never seen my dad so heart broken, it was awful. 

Gammy SPOILED me like crazy. I am everyones first grand child, and Gammy loved that. She took me out for my birthday every year, passed me down every family heirloom, and shared every old story with me. She was so much fun, she came to my birthday parties and showed everyone how to have a good time on the bounce houses. I'm not going to lie though, Gammy could be a real cranky lady. She was raised back in the 1920's, and she learned to not take anything from anyone. Everything was her way or the high way and she was not afraid to share her opinions with anyone, whether they wanted to hear it or not. Honestly, this is something that I admired most about her because she held herself with such confidence that was so inspiring. She didn't care what anyone thought of her, and that is something that I will always aspire to do. 

When I turned 18 Gammy gave me a necklace. It's not a special necklace, it hasn't been in the family for years, but it was special to her. She wore this necklace every day for years and I never knew why and she never told me until she finally gave it to me. Turns out this necklace was the first thing she bought after she divorced her late husband. She was still young, in her 30s, she didn't have a stable income yet but she wanted to make a name for herself without a man. So once her divorce was finalized, she went out and she bought the only piece of jewelry she could afford. A little gold necklace with a ball on the end. Ever since I was a baby I was OBSESSED with this necklace, I loved the ball on the end because I could play with it and for years and years I played with it. Getting that necklace on my birthday was the most special thing and now it is something I will cherish forever. Little did I know that only two short years later I would be saying goodbye. 

Gammy was an inspiration in my life and she always will be. I strive to live my life as boldly as she did, care-free and spontaneous, free of what anyone else thought about her. And I will always have her little gold necklace around my neck, hopefully able to pass it down to the children who will one day call me "great."