My grandmother Mildred is without a doubt the most important person in my life and the

most influential.

To begin with, she was the last out of four girls and a matriarch of her own making. This woman

met my grandfather Oscar and together they had fifteen children, ten girls and five boys. I have

always idolized my grandmother because she was a hardworking and dedicated woman

wholoved her family dearly. She was a very beautiful woman with brown eyes that were radiant,

inviting and loving. She had eyes that would caress and soothe your entire body when she looks

at you. Her smile was breath-taking and infectious, once you see my grandmother you would

start smiling too. Oh, how her smile warmed my heart whenever I would think of her. She had a

peaceful demeanour that was very pleasant and captivating. Her best friend Frederick would

often say to her “Mildred, just to see you, makes me a sick man feel well”. My Grandmother had

a big heart. One that envelops everyone she comes in contact with. She had luscious, silvery,

shiny and well-kept hair that cascaded down her back so elegantly like Rapunzel. With that, my

siblings and I would glory in taking turns to either comb or brush her hair, this we would do with

joy. My grandmother had a touch that was soft and gentle and so I would find myself cuddled in

her warm embrace whenever I would visit. Most of the time I fell asleep in her arms. From time

to time my grandmother would counsel me about life, whether it be academically, socially,

choosing a life partner, or pursuing a career goal and the list goes on. She talks to me about a lot

of things. One of the things she talks to me about is what will happen when I grow up and so

with that, she would always quote proverbs or literature pieces by William Shakespeare, V. S.

Naipaul and Mark Twain to name a few. One of her famous quotes from Mark Twain when

scolding me was "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and

reflect." (http://www.twainquotes.com/Majority.html).
Stop and think about what you are going to say before you say it. Grandma taught me that

silence is golden because it is the speech of the soul. She taught me to tolerate others for people

will always be people. They will make mistakes and even do things to make you shake your head

in disbelief. But I must always remember, that I’ll never know what someone else is thinking or

feeling. She cautioned me not to take the actions of others too seriously or personally, but to

tolerate them; she taught me not to become too attached to the material world; and that if I climb

too high I will suffer a great fall. Grandma educated me that life is algebra it comes with pluses

and minuses; good and bad. She instilled in me to love and respect myself and others and that

they go along way, so make sure that I learn them well. She admonished me to be mindful of the

manner in which I carry myself and present myself to others. She drilled me to command respect

from those around me through my actions. I could not pass an elderly person on the street and

not exercise the discipline and manners I was taught. I could not see a person needing help and

not help them. She taught me to forgive others, especially my enemies and to be a person of my

word. When it comes to my spiritual life and academics, she would always encourage me to seek

God first and that whatever my desire for my academics I will eventually fall into place.

Whenever I am faced with a difficult task or question she would say to me “think about what you

have to do or what you are being asked then analyse it in your mind and think twice about it

before you speak.” I remember when I wasn’t doing well in school, my grandmother would say

to me Reka “You need to put more effort into your work; otherwise, you won’t get a passing

grade.” At a young age, she taught me that it is good to be brave, to follow my heart and never

give up no matter if there’s difficulty discouraging me. For example, when I became

disappointed with the poor examination result, she would give me a big hug that came with a
sweet rose scent from her favourite hand cream, used just to hide her fishy scent as she loved to

eat fish a lot.

Grandma and I spent a lot of time together as I was growing up for she was mainly responsible

for my siblings and my upbringing. My biological mother and I, on the other hand, didn’t have

much contact while growing up as she had migrated and lived overseas for quite a number of

years. Thus, the individual that I grew up calling Mommy was my grandmother Mildred. In fact,

she was my hero; my role model, my everything. I was definitely a grandma’s girl. She taught

me self-respect and in the case of an emergency, grandma would tell me what to do. If I got a cut

or wasn’t feeling well she would advise me as to the different remedies that I could try without

using scientific medication. She always loved to quote the scripture verse found in the Bible in

Revelation 22:2 (New International Version last part) ‘...And the leaves of the tree are for the

healing of the nations.’(http://biblehub.com/revelation/22-2.htm).

Everything I learnt in life was from my grandmother and to her, I owe a great deal of

gratitude.As time goes on, and as I was getting older advancing in age, my grandmother decided

to take a trip to visit her eldest daughter Yvette in St. Thomas, which is my mother; and to spend

Christmas and her birthday with her. While there she was celebrating life and having a good time

moving from city to city and state to state. One fine day she took ill and was hospitalized for a

little while. She was later released thus continued to enjoy her trip being in the company of her

eldest daughter riding seaplanes and ferries and the likes. When the time came for her to return

home, I was ready and waiting in great anticipation filled with enthusiasm and excitement along

with the other family members. I was as happy as a lark because I was going to see my

grandmother once again. While at the airport waiting for her arrival chit-chatting and reminiscing

with the rest of the family my phone rang and on the other end was my mother crying
hysterically with the saddest of news one could ever deliver. It was the news of my

grandmother’s death. My heart sank, the happiness was now turned to doom and gloom, as I was

devastated by the news. I cried and cried and cried like a little baby who was inconsolable and

writhing in pain. My hero, my role model, my mother, my father, my life, my joy, my peace, my

antidote, my everything was taken from me never to be seen or heard from ever again. My

dearest grandmother the most important person in my life had passed. From that day my life has

been empty without her.

In conclusion, my grandmother is indeed the most important and influential person in my life.

She's sweet like honey and her heart is as big as the sea. She was more of a mother than a

grandmother to me. From watching and listening to my grandmother, I have learned that

sincerely caring about people is very important. Every time I think of my grandmother I’m

reminded of her patience, kindness, loving and her forgiving heart. She was a hardworking and

dedicated woman who loved her family dearly and for that, I am forever grateful to have her

influential legacy to carry on. These are some of the reason why my grandmother is the most

important and influential person in my life and I loved her dearly.