My Grandmother’s Legacy

My most vivid memory at age 3 was standing in the porch of my family’s house in St Julien, Trinidad, yelling a strong command at every passing plane to TAKE ME TO AMERICA!!!  In my juvenile mind, if I yelled loudly and frequently enough, then one day the plane would land in our front yard and whisk away my family and I to the mystical land called America.  Little did I know, it required much more than just screaming at every jet in sight, and my grandmother was up for the challenge.

My mother’s mom was born in 1932 and she has been strong and determined since her early years.  She immigrated from the small island of Carriacou to Trinidad, got married, gave birth to 9 children, and worked odd jobs including washing and ironing clothes to earn money for her family, all within the first 3 decades of her life.  Then at the age of 48, she took a huge risk and moved to the United States.  With limited money and contacts, she managed to get a job, obtain sponsorship for a work visa, and get her green card so she could legally sponsor all of her children to move to the United States with their families.  

It was due to her sacrifices, not my yelling, that the plane finally came and took me to America at the age of four, along with my mom, dad, and sister.

My young mind had no clue that my grandmother was working hard behind the scenes for the benefit of her children and grandchildren.  She regularly completed immigration documents by hand without the help of any lawyers, and she took frequent trips to the NYC immigration office to manually file paperwork for each family member.  As a result, thousands of people connected to my grandmother, her kids, her grandkids, and her great-grandkids have obtained their legal citizenship status in America.

But her sacrifices didn’t stop there.

My grandmother has always been one of the most jovial and giving people that I’ve ever known.  Going to her home meant that she would make sure that everyone was always comfortable and well-fed.  She always shared many lengthy, entertaining stories from her younger years, as gospel music from the radio played nonstop in the background, almost like a soundtrack.  Even though she was never known to play sports, she was the best baseball coach ever.  When I say baseball coach, I mean that she always had baseball games playing on the television as she would emphatically mention what the players should have done to perform better during the game.  I’d just smile and nod since I was clueless about baseball. 

Anytime upbeat music played, she made the nearest open area into a dance floor as she did her most impressive dances.  If you happened to be within arm’s reach, she’d pull you to dance with her.  I often chose to stand there like a statue because I didn’t want to outshine her with my stellar moves (or at least that’s what I told myself).  Also, she could be found in church every Sunday, wearing the best, most elaborate outfits, and she’d never miss an opportunity to tell everyone about her best friend, Jesus.

Last week, my grandmother transitioned from Earth as she went to spend eternity in heaven.  She lived a rewarding 93 years and leaves behind a legacy of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grand children, friends, and acquaintances whose success can be at least partially attributed to her work ethic, prayer, and sacrifices. 

I am grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to have her in my life and remain inspired to live a life that directly impacts tens of thousands of people just like hers. 

From now on, instead of looking at the airplanes in the sky to yell take me to America, I’ll look past the skies and know that my grandmother is there in heaven, watching baseball and dancing with her best friend, Jesus.