FIERCE


i woke this morning with a headache and tears in my eyes and although I knew the day would be different it didn't help.  it's been 4 years since she's been gone but there are days it feels just like it was yesterday.  see, today would have been my Nana's birthday and i would have been in Raleigh celebrating with her.  

FIERCE is definitely a word i would use to describe this 4'10" woman.  the word can't was not in her vocabulary and definitely do not tell her she couldn't do something because she would die to prove you wrong.  i don't think i've ever seen such determination and drive in one person so small yet so big and at first glance you would probably expect her to be the submissive asian woman but think again.  that old age saying dynamite comes in small packages must have had my nana in mind when they said that because i'm sure you could look up that saying and her photo will be right next to it. 

i watched her put her cane in the face of a teenage boy who grabbed my cousin's arm unwelcomed, i watched her come out of brain surgery and still try to take care of everyone around her.
she moved from Hawaii to the mainland knowing no one but her husband and having no family to turn to which takes incredible faith that everything will be ok.  it's hard not to look at her and say i can only hope that i am half the woman you are one day.  

so today, today i celebrate her life and i know there are people who don't feel the same way i feel about her but honestly i don't care because i love her for who she was to me and for who she helped shape me into today.  because of her i love unconditionally and keep trucking along no matter what life throws my way.  she passed that down to my mom and me.

even though we weren't at the PIT in Raleigh celebrating, getting her her own banana pudding we still thought about her, told stories of her and just enjoyed the day.  hold your loved ones, tell them how much you love them and celebrate them everyday whether they are with you or not that's how we keep them alive.


THOUGH SHE BE BUT LITTLE SHE IS FIERCE!

peace and love, dawn

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