Always and Forever

                                                                                Getting LOST[pic 1]

1. December 2012

Always and Forever

Grandma Maxine is an interesting character; she is a Brooklyn-bred, sports-crazed New Englander who has an infectiously positive demeanor.  She suffers from multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that has taken the use of three of her limbs and left her with only limited mobility in her right arm.  She is bound to an electric wheelchair, which she controls with her right hand, using a joystick.  I used to brag to my friends that my grandma could go faster than theirs, with a max speed of 10 MPH.  For about five years I spent a few hours at my Grandma’s apartment every day.  My Grandma, who has played a major role in raising me, is my constant.

She has always been a stable figure in my life.  From a young age, Grandma and I exchanged jokes and watched Judge Judy together.  The countless hours I have spent with her have shaped my personality and have made me who I am now.  There was never a point in my life when I could not go to her for guidance, and despite her limitations, she was able to help me with any problem I had.  “Every equation needs stability, something known.  It’s called a constant…something you really, really care about” (LOST).  My Grandma has always served as this constant.

The lessons she has taught me are countless, and they have made me who I am.  Grandma Maxine constantly models positivity in the face of adversity.  She has endured and an extremely difficult life, yet her optimism never faded.  Her mindset was transmitted to me and I am thankful that I can remain positive when things do not go my way.  She also has never let her disability stop her from doing anything.  A decade ago, I asked her to teach me to ride a bike, which is not an easy task for someone who is unable to ride themselves. We approached biking as a team; my legs were moving the pedals, but it was really her thought process guiding the bike forward.  With her words, she rode the bike with me and stabilized it like a training wheel until I could balance by myself, using the kind of understanding that only a grandparent can offer.  Unlike the teaching relationship between Prospero and Ferdinand in The Tempest, my grandma showed more compassion when trying to teach me lessons.