Day 10 - A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago

...and how it makes me feel now...

It was difficult to choose a picture for this post.  I ultimately decided on a this...

This is a picture of me with my grandmother, whom Gracie was named after and is now buried next to.  This picture represents a lot of things to me, including love; lost time and opportunities; and determination.  My grandmother was killed when I was 8, and while I have quite a few memories, her untimely death took away the opportunity for her entire family to create more memories.  The untimeliness and pointlessness of her death will always cause me to feel a little vengeful against those who drive under the influence of controlled substances.

At no point in her life did my grandmother ever have much in terms of worldly possessions.  Like the rest of us, she was not by any means a perfect person, but she was certainly determined; she did what she had to do to get herself and her family through to the next day.  She raised 14 children and then began her college career.  Sadly, after her death, worldly possessions and greed began to divide her children, and the family has never been the same.  While our parents waste precious time bickering and giving each other the silent treatment, my generation has worked hard to hold the family ties together so that our children will have the opportunity to know their cousins.

I am proud to say that I am her granddaughter, and I like to think that I inherited some of her determination and tenacity, and that a little piece of her lives on in me...and perhaps my children.