Significant Person

Indicate A Person Who has A Significant Influence On You…

My Grandmother was a strong woman. Perhaps the strongest woman I knew personally.
I remember the stories she told me over the phone, and the love she gave all her children and grandchildren unconditionally. My Grandmother who’s name was Gwendolyn Agard, the youngest of 13 children and the first to go. I saw my grandmother fight diabetes, get sick and better. Almost lose so many body parts, but never did she cave. I remember her telling me It was all because of God. For My Grandmother God really Was GREAT and ALMIGHTY. She had so much faith I felt that there was no need to believe she had enough faith for the whole family. My Grandmother Lived In Barbados and never left a day in her life. It was her home and she let us all know. It’s not that she didn’t want to go. Though Nothing could compare to the sweet ripe fruits, fresh fish, and white sand beaches of her homeland.
Even Though I only saw my grandmother once I spoke to her everyday for 16 years of my life. She definitely brought the family together. We all knew it too. There was no one with a heart as filled with gold as hers.
When Gwendolyn passed Away I lost a sure part of myself. So did everyone else. My cousins stopped smiling. I suppose we all did for awhile. I began to hate the world. I hated that she left without us having our daily conversation. I hated that she didn’t say goodbye, I hated that she loved me, I hated that the last thing she said was “I want to see you before I no longer can.” Most of all, I hated her.
I know that makes me selfish, but she’s selfish for ever loving me.
My whole perspective changed. My Mom lost faith and I stopped believing in a whole. So me and my mom find ourselves on a plane going to Barbados. Once again from the Grave my Grandmother brings the family together.
Like I said I only saw my grandmother once. Until the viewing of the corpse, the whole family went to check the body before the wake. It was a day before the wake exactly. Everyone began to cry, but instead of tears being my first reaction. I received a shiver down my spine and I froze. I wanted to say open your eyes Grandma and take a look I’ve finally come back. “Look At Me Grandma, OPEN YOUR EYES GRANDMA, I’M FINALLY HERE.” but instead I listened to everyone say how good she looked in her burial clothes. How at peace she looked. I saw everyone touching her face and her body. Putting there lips on her dead corpse. I stood there. Not ’cause I was afraid, but because I had no memories of her. The sound of her voice was no more than a faded gasp. I had nothing. No memory of her touch, her scent, or her laugh.
I felt so out of place.
It wasn’t ‘till then did I begin to cry, my cousins tried to console me, but I wanted to be alone. I didn’t say that though, instead I allowed them to attempt to console me. My mother told me to touch her, I refused and she insisted. So I did. I walked over to the body as it laid still in such a small box. I felt her cheek it was cold indicating just how … NOT alive she was.
The reason this woman is so significant to me is because she’s changed me. I know I said I hate her. I don’t mean that at all. I never loved someone as much as I ever loved her. No not at all. She’s my angel. I hope I make her proud. No! I will Make Her proud.