I took this picture from my cousin's Facebook account and edited it.
(May this article won't be too emotional to read.馃)
GRANDMAS ARE ESSENTIAL
This picture is mine.鈽猴笍
She is my real grandma, named Lourdes, my Mom's birth mother. I'm not personally close with her as she got a real favorite among Mom's siblings. Evidence is, she gave away Mom to her sister, grandma Luz.
She's my Mom's preferred mother and so is my preferred grandma. She raised my Mom since she was a baby until she got married that Mom lived with her Uncle then. I was left to her when I was so young and she gave me so much love and discipline that even when I went astray, I found my way back home. This is another story, hope I won't forget to share.(Gosh, I'm tearing up. Haha)
As some of you knew, I'm the eldest daughter and mostly, eldest daughters were the unplanned ones (well, atleast to my community). Mom gave birth to me without clear roadmap on how to raise me up, where to live and how to live. Even her relationship with my Dad was so unstable and that explains why I was left to my grandma Luz.
Living with her, in the middle rice paddy field ain't easy. As you can imagine, walking is inevitable. I walk to and fro from school and no other places to go. As young as 6 years old, I was already taught the sense of responsibility.
Grandma Luz taught me how deal with some of my laundry- underwears to be exact as I am so thin and so small in stature and that's what I could handle and that's all I could handle. She made me cook rice on daily basis, evening meals that includes grilled dried fish or simple vegetables soup.
She doesn't only make me think of my food and clothing but also animals and plants well being.
In the morning, my exercise would be watering her flowers, orchids and roses and so many other varieties. She taught me that life could be prickly but it could be very beautiful as those thorny roses; and some may be like those so high up orchids that I could barely splash it wet, but they're worth to be looked up(tears up again).
I just don't eat my meals; cats and dogs should be fed too, with well prepared mixture of rice and dried fish' fishbones. I am so clumsy that I prick myself from time to time with fishbones. Her words would be, "sometimes you need to be hurt for others to be happy but fret not, you'll realize that it's worth it. One should should not live for herself alone."
We have turkeys, pigs, chickens, and even ducks. She feeds them herself but I'm the one who collects duck's eggs if they're situated near our house, as you might know, they have movable screen fence for the night.
Grandma Luz doesn't spare me in every argument I started with her. She lashes out to me as if I'm grown adult.
One time, I confronted her that it seems she's making me a slave with all the chores she entrusted to me. She didn't spare me the truths that she's doing so much more for me.
She goes to rice paddy early in the morning, battling with weeds and pests to make the rice grow healthily.
As she came home, she'll attend to the swines, turkeys, and ducks.
In the evening, she'll chop those papaya's young fruits and taro leaves for their food in the morrow. Sometimes, she take advance payment of the rice that's still standing on the field especially when she needs to send my uncle some money as he was in college that time.
Sometimes, she'll cater to the sewing jobs for us to buy sugar, dried fish and my needs at school. She confronted me with all of that, crying. She's having a hard time too but she sucks it up for she's an adult.
Living with grandma Luz ain't all hardship though,we have fun commenting on characters being dramatized in our local radio channel. She gave me such task too, listening to a certain drama on radio and update her when we arrives home at dusk. I think, this is one of the reason why I love summarizing stories/dramas as well as writing a personal reflection about it.
She also made me memorize poems for fun. She made me live my hard childhood dreamily.
She's the one who trained me to be a wide reader too. My unforgettable assignment was to read Matilda by Roald Dahl and enjoy it. I was 7 years old and I finished it. If you're familiar with the story, you'll know why I was so encouraged by the book to read some more.
Grandma Luz is still alive and she lost her husband just few weeks ago. She have four children and yes, I still think I'm the beloved niece to all of them. Haha Well, they used to give me money but now, I do borrow and pay, as an adult should do,being responsible. They have their own family and we just met from time to time.
This picture is mine鈽猴笍
This was taken last vacation and this was her birthday. I was saying goodbye thus explains the face.
As for my grandma Lourdes, she gave up her ghost already. Although I haven't been the recepient of her love and care, I cared for her until her death. I lived separately before but because of her, I moved back home to attend to her, to assist my Mom. She died being cared for and I think, I made it. I hold grudges but at that time, even if it hurts, as she's needy, I gave up my personal feelings. That's how it is with family, right?
Grandmas are essentials. One taught me so much I could learn, and the other taught me one lesson,care for yourself but don't love yourself too much that you may overlook someone's need, especially family.
CrushReveal: Christopher Punsalan. He cares for his grandma that I really find him amazing.馃檲
I screenshot this from one of his videos on Facebook. Credits to Chris.
馃Got myself a Coach, answers to my every question and he is responsible as to why am I already in Discord haha special mention to you 
