This one is about my maternal grandmother – a truly remarkable person and the reason for many affected lives, in and outside the family. About many lessons including resilience, endurance, hope, and origin stories.

Grandma was dropped off by her father at the orphanage when she was 9.  He told her he would come back for her in 2 weeks but never did.  Grandma waited by the door of the orphanage in vain. We don’t really know why she got dropped off but it was likely because they couldn’t afford to feed her.

Later, she was “given” to a wealthy family to be an indentured servant.  They were cruel to her, making her wash the roof in the rain to save water.  She got sick. Grandma also got beaten a lot for misbehaving.  Guess who else took after her – yours truly and her great granddaughter – her first great-grandchild with her blood.

Although she couldn’t swim, she rescued two of her master’s family from drowning.  And survived a Japanese bombing AND torpedo attack.  In the latter, she was so brave, she stole into the luggage compartment to retrieve their possessions when the ship was sinking.

Raised 6 kids, survived poverty, widowhood.  Tough and smart as hell.  Never sat die.  Confronted a woman who was trying to steal away grandpa. Threatened to chop off a burglar’s hand with a meat cleaver. Quit smoking cold turkey overnight just out of sheer will.

On her deathbed, still sharp enough to curse out nurses by their mother tongue.

Tough as hell but also kind. Loved pets and people.

Many lived because of her.

I met her master’s family at her funeral. Because it was a Christian ceremony, no Samuel L. Jackson options were available to me.

Never say die. That was grandma in a nutshell.