legacy

With a fleeting memory, it is hard to focus on specific memories of my grandmother. I have blurry images of her in the kitchen, of my grandparents’ home in Taichung, of her reading or knitting in bed while the grandkids played in her closet. There are vague images that may have originated from old photographs. I remember when she wasn’t frail. I remember when she looked taller, robust, and full of vitality. I suppose it is important to have detailed stories and experiences to tell about a person so close to my life. I don’t have that. I have her essence. My grandmother left a lasting impression. She was a vibrant woman. She was a strong woman. I didn’t have to grow up under her supervision to know it. You could see her strength emanating from the way she instructed Grandpa on how to make onion cakes. She had an opinion on most everything. You could feel her warm presence when she entered. Most of all, you can see proof of her strength in her children. My uncle, my aunts, and my mother are each unique but share the same strength of character and vivacity that my grandmother had. It only takes a brief meeting with my mother to know that she is an extraordinary and commanding personality - full of life, full of youth. My grandmother is responsible for that. She instilled my mother and all of her children with her strength of mind, strength of character, strength of spirit. In them, especially in my mother, I know my grandmother lives on. In me, I know my grandmother will live on.