Compelling Roots She is a down to the nitty-gritty, no nonsense kind of woman. The strength of her eighty-nine year old body is withstanding, like a golden thread that runs through the warp and woof of one’s life and can’t be broken. The same bloodline radiates through me and the rest of her grandchildren. My grandmother, Golda May Smith, has had an arduous way to go, but it has never stopped her from chasing her dreams. Correspondingly, her presence can light up a room like the stars in a still sky. She has the usual, stereotypical grandma tendencies, which include: asking if I’m hungry every five minutes, telling me “Boy, you sure are looking skinny. Have you lost weight?”, then the following time I see her, it’s “Your face is looking
Donna LaVonna Bergner is an 88-year-old woman who goes on long jogs in the mornings, dives off of boats in the afternoon and stays awake past midnight. Her age doesn’t defy her and she is the most extraordinary woman I have ever met in my life. She lived through the Great Depression, her husband fought in World War II and she also raised seven kids. I have the great privilege of seeing Donna LaVonna multiple days of every summer and even on some holidays. When I see her, she is always in a swimsuit, old-fashioned work out clothes or either very dressed up attire. She is a very odd duck but she has been through more experiences than anyone else that I have ever met and I am very grateful for the lessons that she is able to teach.
“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything“, is a favorite statement of my grandmother, Gloria Wheeler. Born in 1940 in Remus, Michigan, she was the youngest and the only girl in her family. My grandmother is a kind, active seventy-five year old with the heart of a lion. Even at an older age, she continues to sing and act in front of large groups and memorize large scripts. My grandma, better known as Gaga, has four children; one girl and three boys. Fortunately, my father is one of her children. My grandmother inspires me to work hard, do my best, and be selfless to everyone I meet.
Whenever I saw the flyer and read the options for the essay topics, I knew I needed to share my mother’s story. Like Mildred Loving, my mother is strong, brave, and resourceful. She defied the social norms of her generation and married someone she loved. Although the marriage could not survive the hardships the young couple faced, she gave us a grandson, a son, and a brother whom we all
Throughout the story, the grandmother is in conflict with her family due to not being able
She has been one that needed to be dragged along kicking and screaming, even hanging onto for dear life: a truck door, a leg(grandma’s, mine, her dads…), her brother, whatever she could grab ahold of if she wasn’t ready for what was next. As with her birth, gracefully almost unexpectedly, she slide right on through, seamlessly, ready to take life head on, the timing was hers and hers alone. It’s a delicate balance and a dance not of a minuet or rumba but more like a mambo with a delightful lift of a waltz watching her grow-up.
Remembering back as a child, my mother would talk a lot about Freda. How she grew up really poor the youngest child of four. Only one to ever have an education and the one that taught her mother, father and older sibling how to read and write. Freda would visit my family a lot during the summer time. And we had family gatherings at her house for some of the holidays. Freda spoke highly of her mother and father, always telling stories of her childhood that seemed to stick with me as I grew older. Freda was a scholar at everything she did. Freda Jones was born into a family who didn’t have much, both mother and father picked vegetables and fruit for local farmers. Also received food slips from the more wealthy to feed their family of 6. Her older
Without significant, strong people in the world, the earth would be no longer here. People would not survive and the world would be in chaos. Because of this, the people who do good for the world are treasured and kept close. In the biography Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom by Ann Petry and the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, two extraordinary women are revealed in the text. While Harriet is a former slave with little experience in the real world but with a heart filled with bravery, Mrs. Flowers is petite and full of willpower to strive to success.
There are many ways to interpret this story. However, the boldness that the granny radiates through her dedication to
Williams became her mother’s support, spending the last few years of her mother’s life in an understanding relationship of support and connection. The support Williams gave her mother was essential in helping her mother cope with cancer.
While I read Hillbilly Elegy, I drew numerous parallels with the struggles and triumphs faced by the characters in the memoir and that of my mother’s life. My mom continues to be the strongest person, both physically and mentally, I have ever known. She spends her weeks managing a nonprofit veterinary clinic and her weekends climbing mountains. And while her current endeavors are nothing short of amazing, it 's less than shocking compared to the obstacles she has already overcome.
However, in some moments you are able to observe Grandma’s inner feelings “But Grandmama shook her head, for she knew it was a sign.” (116).
We adjusted very quickly. The kids loved it since day one and we got right to our everyday life just like if we were still back in Virginia. Our routines were set in place, chores, mommy's summer school began and we even started walking everyday again. That led to our discovery of the On Post Garden which eased my green thumb cravings. I have had some setbacks, I wouldn't be human if I didn't. I constantly struggle with keeping an upbeat attitude in the middle of a move. Its normal and I embrace it.
Sitting down and talking with sixty-eight year old Roseanne Hughes was an overall eye-opening experience for me. Never have I met a woman more patient, interesting, or passionate. Roseanne 's story is one of happiness, heartbreak, adventure, and much more. She has overcome many obstacles in her life and has fought hard for those she believes in. I know Roseanne through my aunt 's best friend, Kristen. Roseanne is Kristen 's grandmother. After hearing about my assignment, Kristen insisted that I set up a day to talk with Roseanne. On October 24th, I was warmly welcomed into her home for a nice chat.
Maya Angelou once said that “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between is the best way to lead a happy life”. My Grandmother embodies this quote in more ways then I’d know prior to conducting my interview with her on December 1st of the year of 2017, and now I am both excited and grateful to share her embodiment with you here today so sit back, relax and enjoy the untold tale of Lena Martin. Let me set the scene for you, I’m sitting at my Grandmother's “Kitchen Dining Room” ie, the place in the kitchen where nobody really sits but on this day I was sitting where I rarely did for a special occasion, it was interview day. To really understand my Grandmother I believe that it’s necessary for you to
Grandma had spunk. She enjoyed getting out and doing things. She kept active and had a lot of energy. When I was younger, I remember grandma in front of the tv with her kitchen chair doing leg lifts with Jack La lane.