A couple of months ago while we were doing school, a piece of paper turned up on the table. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, then I noticed the handwriting. It was an assignment my oldest son had written in high school, although I don’t remember ever having read it. It’s about my mother. The paper must have been tucked into a book that my 15-year-old is now using. My oldest son graduated and moved out a year and a half ago and my mother passed away nearly three years ago. I don’t know why I’m trusting blogger to save this for me; I’m just afraid of losing it:
What unlikely hero have you known in your life?
I would say my Grandmother “Gran.” She has had metal jaws put in her and between silicone and teflon it has torn her life apart. She was an amazing singer in her teens and throughout college, she attended voice lessons and singing schools regularly, this was her “devotion” so to speak. When she was in her late twenties she had jaw surgery and had metal jaws put in and has had multiple surgeries on her jaws prior to the incident. My Gran now lives in an almost constant state of pain and is taking enough medicine for her pain to kill me probably, but she tries. She loves all her grandchildren and both her daughters, and she is fun enough that I look forward to going over to her house and “hanging out” with her. She inspires me and no pain I ever go through ever compares to her, which teaches me to be more content and try not to overestimate my own pain.
My Grandmother is an “unlikely hero” to me and I love her more than she knows.
I know this opens some questions for people who didn’t know my mother. I think there’s probably a long post requiring a lot of Kleenex (for me) in my near future about my her, so I’ll save it. Let’s just say that while DuPont has come under scrutiny for the health risks associated with exposure to Teflon in their cookware, you don’t often hear that they were also using it in implants in humans without testing its effects in advance. My mother had Teflon-coated metal jaws for years. The Teflon flaked off, just like in a skillet, and her body was full of it, even after having those jaws replaced.
My mother was my hero, too. What everyday heroes do you have in your life?
That story is a treasure. I hope you keep it on your computer and print it out as well. Deserves the scrapbook!
How precious, especially coming from one of your children. I know you’ll cherish it.
Your mom sounds like an amazing lady. I think it is neat that one of her grandkids speaks so highly of her!
What an amazing essay he wrote. And that story about your poor mother makes me cringe.
I wonder what people are taking right now that we’ll find out years from now really wasn’t safe.
Scary, scary. But I’m looking forward to when you feel strong enough to do that post about her.
Yes, Sister Judy was an amazing woman…even through all her pain…I rememeber I hugged her a little too hard one day and she just smiled. And although she would sneak off to the bathroom to eat her “painpops” she wouold still make you feel loved and warm and tell the most amazing stories of her life, and yours…and of course, shje always had that lipstick just right. You know I NEVER sing “Angel Band” without thinking of her. She was a blessing to so many people and we all would feel tremendously blessed and fulfilled if our children thought of us one day the way you revere her. I see her in you, Dawn, she lives on in our hearts and yours.