She Was Home

A grandmother’s love is easy to find,

not because it hides,

but because it shines everywhere,

a quiet light we learn to walk by.

She is the soft place

every storm remembers,

the steady hands

that kept the world from tilting.

Her kindness is a constant,

a pulse beneath every memory,

the warm quilt of childhood,

the voice that soothed the trembling parts,

the safety we didn’t have to earn.

No heart has ever opened wider

No presence has held us more completely

She caught our falls

before we knew we were falling,

mending what broke,

teaching us how to rise

without losing tenderness.

So this is my offering,

my small return

for all she gave without asking:

Thank you, Grandma,

for the love you gave freely,

the strength you lent quietly,

and the way you made

every version of home

begin with you.

Reviews

[Brandon Houser]

This hit a nerve. You painted my grandma. This is everything my grandma was. Last week was 6 years since we lost her. Somedays I hear her when I read to my grandkids. She still comforts from beyond. I imagine lots will read this and think of their grandmothers. Wonderful work. Writing this with tears.

[Curly Grace]

Thank you for sharing this with me. I’m honored it brought your grandmother close for a moment. What a gift she must have been and still is, in the ways she echoes through you and your grandkids, sending you gentleness tonight.

[Lorry]

I remember when my wee granny burst into tears on the day she found out she was gonna become a great gran. As soon as the words sunk in and she said she was gonna be a great gran, my big sister piped up with "but you've always been a great gran!" She gave her a big hug and a few days later sent my sis a big bunch of flowers and a big box of chocolates, signed "love from your great gran!" 😃
That's how I always remember her, along with always being in the kitchen, making great soups and cakes and biscuits. Her house smelled like a bakery, which I always assumed was how all grans houses smelled. But my sister was right and she was a great gran.
She passed away on her birthday, her 99th and it was on valentines day too, which was weird for me because I always sent her a valentines/birthday card. 😃

[Curly Grace]

Lorry, what a gorgeous memory. The way you describe her... the warmth, the humor, the kitchen, it lingers. Thank you for sharing a piece of her here.