ode to Doris (for my dear grandmother, who left the earth on this day)

When people in the family have told me that I’m “just like Grandma,” I know that what they’re often referring to are the... shall we say?... more challenging aspects of Grandma’s personality. That’s fine by me, as I know that I also take after my Grandmother in other, more flattering ways.

Grandma was always very proud of my academic achievements – yet she contributed to some of my successes there as well. When I was in high school and had to read George Orwell’s “1984” for my Honors English class and was struggling with writing a corresponding essay, my grandmother (an avid reader) read the book overnight so that she could assist me with writing my paper the following day.

Speaking of reading, I have many fond memories of my grandmother reading to me when I was very young. So often, Grandma would take me to the library and let me select as many books as I could carry. I was always in awe with the tall stack of hardbound books that she would check out. In fact, Grandma claimed that she helped me obtain my first library card when I could barely write my own name. I so loved going to the library with my grandma and this experience has had a profound impact on my use of the public library throughout my life, on my continuing education, and on my choice of career. I am nearly halfway finished with my Master’s degree in Library Science so that I can later become a librarian (which is what I always secretly wanted my grandmother to become).