My grandmother on my dad's side of the family, Babci in Polish, is one of the most loving people I know. She is usually the first person in the room to tell someone that she loves them. She is always concerned about other's well being, putting everyone else's concerns above her own. To me, that is the way she has always been and continues to be. Unfortunately, she didn't take care of herself as much as she should have and she let diabetes take its toll on her. She is blind now and mostly deaf, but still strives to be present to her family as much as possible. She has been for many years now, the matriarch of that side of the family, making most of the financial decisions and deciding how things should be done. She still has her wits about her despite her health issues and continues to be a presence in all of our lives. Although she can't do much any more on her own, what I will remember her for the most is her cooking, her Polish dinners, her lavish Thanksgiving dinners; practically anything she made was memorable. Although not the healthiest of cooks, her food tasted great and you could tell she put all her effort into it. She always strove to bring family together and she did it with her meals.
Any meal that she cooked was a chance for our family to gather around the table and spend time together. I can see now how it carried down through the generations and how important it is for a family. She was a person who dedicated herself to helping others whenever she could. Working at the local Catholic church and school, she helped out in any way she could. Even with our family, after making sure that her and my grandfather were all set financially, she made sure she could help us out whenever the chance arose, usually around the holidays or birthdays, but even if it was some random discussion about a project that needed to be done around the house or a big ticket item that needed to be bought, she often jumped in and said, we'll take care of it. I remember when we bought our house, we were talking to them about our bathroom that was in dire need of a remodeling as soon as we moved in. She asked how much we thought it would cost and consequently wrote us a check for it. We never asked for it or even expected it, but that's just the way she was. Having been born during the tail end of the Great Depression, she was frugal and always made sure there was enough money in the bank to sustain them. Due to her financial ability, my grandparents were able to afford moving into an assisted living facility a few years back, something my other grandmother will never be able to do unfortunately.
My only regret now, is that Babci will never be able to see her great grandson. Due to her lack of discipline when it came to her health, she now must deal with the consequences. In large part, it was all those fantastic meals she cooked, packed full of butter and salt, that in part led to her diminished health. She knew about her diabetes and was fully capable of preventing its progression, but failed to do so. I feel sorry for her now, because seeing our son grow I am sure would have been a true delight for her. She has gotten to hold him, however, so at least she will be able to take those memories with her. I will forever remember my grandmother as one of the most loving people I know. When she says she loves you, you can tell she means it. At this point, every time she leaves, she shakes a quivers a little bit as she tells everyone how much she loves them because I think in part, she doesn't know if she will get to be with them again. She knows her predicament with her health and knows that things could go south at any time. That is perhaps the best lesson any grandmother could give a family, how to express your love for others. The lesson; just say it, and mean it. It is quite simple, but she has mastered it. I will forever remember her fattening meals (they were sure tasty) and her generous heart and will keep those memories with me forever. Here is to you Babci and all that you have done for your entire family.
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