“Great-grandma too long for such a little girl.” she told me. She was known by that name for 27 years of her life and she will always be GG for the rest of mine. I felt honored to be, not only the first great-granddaughter but her first great-grandchild. She was a remarkable woman who always loved those around her. When I was young, I used to put on ‘shows’ for my family. The newest song from Barney or Seasame Street was on the Toddler Billboard Chart and I wanted to show it off. She always sat, with a giant smile on her face, and listened. She also listened to the five encores that would follow. Never once did she say, “I’m busy” or “Later”. She made me feel like the most special person in the world. As I grew up, words of wisdom were imparted on me. “Pick you battles” and “Don’t let it bother you” were the ones I heard the most. They are still something that I struggle with now but she knew, even when I was young, that I would benefit from hearing those words.
She’s not here anymore. I wish that I got to know her better, that my time wasn’t split between families preventing me from spending all of my time with her. Call me a dreamer but I always wished that all of the people I knew and loved could come live in one giant house and hang out all the time.
She lives on in her spirit, her wisdom, and her family. She lives on in the good deeds she did for others, the love she gave to everyone who knew her, and in the words she spoke. March 12 would have been her 97th birthday. I am amazed to think of all of the things she was witness to in the history of the earth. Women earning the right to vote, two World Wars, and the technology advances that feel like the Jetsons.
Her name was Ruby Helen Rowland and she was my great-grandma.
Bostick to Bustillo 