"My Grandmother Died This Weekend"

By Karnee

 

My grandmother died this weekend. She just turned 101 in February. She is actually my foster grandmother. I lived with my foster family from a baby until 7 years old. After I went back to live with my abusive bio mother my foster family still took care of me. Every weekend they took me. Friday they picked me up and Sunday night they dropped me back with my bio. Summer vacations I spent with them. They bought me all my new clothes for school and did all my school projects with me. My foster mother and father had a huge home (hard working class people). Grandma had a one bedroom apartment on the upstairs floor. It was really just one big happy family. They had so many foster children over the years that they loved and helped. I was the last one. I was the baby.

They adopted my foster sister. They had her from a 2 week old baby and they finally adopted her at 14. My older foster brother was adhd but it was the 60's and the agency didn't know what to do with him. So they took him away from my foster parents when he was 5 and put this cute little boy in a mental hospital where he was abused by the other patients. They would put wire hanger on the heaters and burn him and I am sure they did much more. My foster parents never gave up. They would visit him at the hospital all the time. When he was older and they sent him to a group home my foster family fought so he could come home to them on weekends and holidays. They wanted him back with them all the time but the agency said no. It didn't matter they never gave up. They stayed in his life and when he turned 18 he went back to them. He is now a wonderful married man who became an author.

My foster father died 12 years ago of Alzheimer. My mother took care of him for 10 years and never sent him to a nursing home. He died peacefully in his sleep next to my mom 2 days before their 50th anniversary. After that my mom took care of my grandmother. My mom finally had to put grandma in a nursing home because she couldn't lift her up anymore. Everyday 7 days a week 5 hours a day my mother went to that nursing to be with her mother. My grandmother died peacefully in her sleep with her daughter by her side at 101 years old.

With my bio family I seen liars and drunks, drug users and bullies. With my foster family I seen kindness, love, patients and honesty. As I sit here today I know the only reason I am the person I am today is because of my foster family. I am by far from perfect but I am and will always try to be a good caring person and that I got from my foster family.

My children might not have my grandmothers eyes or nose but they lay in their beds right now loved and cared for because of my foster family. I don't know where she is right now but I hope my grandmother knows how grateful I am for her. She gave me and taught me so much and I love her. Tomorrow I will make her famous short bread cookies for my children. I am sorry this went on for so long but it just makes me feel better to talk about her. Thanks for listening.