In Memory of my Grandma Susan

If I had to choose one word to describe you Grandma, it would be resilient. Resilient when you escaped Germany with the kinder-transport when you were only four years old. Resilient when you and your nine year old cousin traveled halfway across the world alone, to a country whose language you didn't even speak. You built a life for yourself here and started a family despite all of it. Resilient after suffering numerous heart attacks and various other illnesses that somehow never seemed to get in your way. You were so resilient in fact that numerous doctors knew who you were and of all the fights that you would put up for anyone who stood in the way of how you wanted things to go. It is this trait that has kept us going through all of our years and it is because of your resilience in particular that I am here today. 

You always loved to keep things new and exciting. Whether it was moving houses or redecorating your current house, making a new painting or playing a new song on the piano, you always had something new, fancy and fun to show us whenever we came over. And you never stopped. When I got to your house yesterday one of the first things I noticed was the palette of paint which was still wet, waiting for you to perfect the canvas next to it. 

Art is something that always connected us. You saw potential in me before anyone else did, and you always taught me new things when we were together. When we weren't together, you would save pictures, articles and books to show me the next time you saw me. From you I learned shading, perspective and to look at things in a different light - both literally and figuratively. When I turned 16 you took me out for driving lessons and when I got my license , you trusted me to let me borrow your car - probably just a little sooner than you should have. 

Growing up with you around was always an adventure. You were always up for anything and you never did anything half-heartedly. Even when we walked to the park which was basically next to your condo, we would never take the "normal" route. Instead we had to go the long way around, through the forest and over the creek balancing on tiny rocks to get across. Inevitably someone would end up with at least one soaking wet shoe but it didn't matter, it was always hilarious and we ended up laughing the whole way. We jumped on your bed while you, the "monster", tried to knock us down and you even let us paint the walls of your atrium as we transformed them from simple concrete into a jungle filled with wildlife. We played hide and seek with you and you were so good at it that to this day we still don't know if you actually didn't see us that time you checked the closet we were in three times while we stifled our giggles trying not to give ourselves away. When we wanted to see if we were good at tying knots, you let us hog tie you with our jump ropes - it turns out we weren't very good at it but I still can't believe you let us do that. Grandma, you were always up for everything and anything and you never let any obstacles get in your way. 

I will now have to continue my adventures through life without you physically in them, however the lessons that I have learned from you will forever be with me, and I will miss you.

*In loving memory of my Grandma Susan who passed away on September 9, 2012.