The Oldest Bestie
My grandma, Lora Hawley, was the best person I ever knew. I always considered her to be my best friend and she knew it. She was there for me through most all of the events of my life. In fact, one of my earliest memories is at my grandma’s house, which is where I spent a lot of time during the first few years of my life.
Don’t get me wrong, my parents were definitely there for me and as much as part of my life as she was, but they were working and my grandma was hired as the permanent baby-sitter. She not only was my confidant and pal during those years, but she was also my first teacher. It was Grandma Hawley who taught me how to read and write.
She had always been a homemaker and an avid baker. There were rarely any times that I would go into her house and not smell a delicious dessert in the oven and her famous “Kiss the Cook” apron that she would wear. But even though she would be in the kitchen frequently, she was always able to talk about anything and everything. The only time she wouldn’t want to engage in this chat was when “The Young and The Restless” was on.
Of all of these memories and good times that I had, there are two major events that really solidified for me how important I was to her. The first occurred right after I started kindergarten and that was the first time that I was truly away from her. It was definitely hard on me but I never really knew just how hard it was for her as well. My mom told me a story a few years back that really surprised me: Two weeks into my kindergarten year, my grandma suffered a stroke. It was mild and there were no real permanent disabilities because of it, but my mom always believed that me not being there every day at her house is what caused her to have a stroke.
The second event was when I turned 13. I had always told my family that I would not turn into one of those “bad” kids and be involved with gangs, drugs, partying, etc. She also didn’t want me to stop visiting her because it wasn’t what the cool kids did. This lifestyle was scary for my grandma because she had seen a lot of movies and watched the news religiously. She did not want her only grandson to turn into that kind of person. On her birthday, which was July 24th, I gave my grandma a hand-written note that said “Dear Grandma, I promise to be your friend for the rest of my life.” She was very happy for the letter and assured me that she would keep it forever. I stayed true to the letter and that I visited her frequently until her death in September 2010. That note is also buried with her. I never turned into one of those “bad” kids either…although I hope my grandma won’t be upset about the occasional Stone visit…
It has been five years since she passed away, but the memories and the good times that we had will be there forever. Grandma truly was my oldest bestie.
