Not Everyone Knew Their Great-Grandma

Not everyone gets to say they knew their great-grandma. Even fewer people can say they knew her for 20 years.

Family comes in all different ways: by choice, by marriage, and by blood. Despite how family members enter into your world, true family members are those who love you and care about you and whom you love and care about in return.

My great-grandma passed away this weekend. I am not good at handling bad news but I so badly wanted tell the world what she meant to me. I loved her very much and I will miss her for the rest of my life.


When I was very young, I remember celebrating various holidays with my great-grandparents. I remember walking in a kitchen where the counters were still taller than me, I remember seeing old pictures on tables, I remember sneaking up carpeted stairs to go exploring on the top floor. But the thing that stood out the most to me was my great-grandma's specialty: cheesecake. Many people who know me know that that is my favorite dessert, but I only think one or two people know it's because of my great-grandma. I could eat the entire cake, and I probably still could today. I actually remember asking for the recipe not too long ago, and now it's stashed away in my recipe folder to be forever cherished by me. No matter how I make it though, it will never taste quite the same.

My grandma created a yearly tradition when I was very young of going to see the Nutcracker ballet. Every year, I would climb into the back of my grandma's car and sit next to my great-grandma while my grandparents sit up front. She always carried candies with her to be shared during the performance and frequently brought her opera binoculars so we could see the show better. My great-grandma also was an active part of other festivities, such as Easter, where she would prepare various foods from ham to potato salad. As I was talking to my friend Justin, he remembered her story last year about how she accidentally poured ammonia into her potato salad and the whole recipe turned black. She had a great way of telling stories that made everyone laugh. She had a really great sense of humor.

My great-grandma was also there for every major event in my life, from birthdays to graduations. She never failed to give me a card for every holiday, birthday, and occasion. The last card she sent me was for Easter and she told me she loved seeing the pictures on my blog. Seeing the card now makes me terribly sad. I wish I could tell her right now how much I love her.

It kills me to know I cannot attend her funeral because I am here in Munich. As I was talking to my grandma, she said the one wish my great-grandma had that was not fulfilled was to see me get married. I so wish she could be there. I truly loved my great-grandma with my whole heart. She meant so much to so many other people, but she held a very special place in my heart and I wanted to be able to share that with everyone.


Typing this makes me realize how very lucky I've been. I've had many people love and care for me and my great-grandma was not only an amazing person, but she loved and cared for me very much. I am so thankful to have had her be part of my life for so long. As my sister said, she was a very tough lady and she definitely has a special place in heaven.

I miss her very much.