Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Grandma's




Today as I sat in one of my favorite coffee shops I heard on of the baristas speaking in French to an elderly lady. She helped the lady to her seat with her cookie and coffee and returned to work. A few minutes later I heard her say to her colleague "I like that you know what type of cookie my grandma likes." Now the initial interaction had warmed my heart (for those of you who know me well know I have a serious obsession for the senior population) but to hear that this women was in fact her grandmother and that she quite obviously comes to visit her grand-daughter often made me smile..It also made me think of my Nana and how much I miss her...My nana lived in Toronto so as to make work visits impossible but I know if she had lived here and given the opportunity she would have visited me often (probably when I was a waitress as I am not sure she would have found much enjoyment out of visiting me at a hospital!).

So as it sat I had grandma's on my mind tonight when I returned to my computer to find a message waiting for me from Beth at Heartline. For those of you who have read my blogs and who know me know that my Nana and Grampy raised me (into the little princess I can be at times..I totally blame them for that!) for a few years following the death of my mother. Now, my grandparents were definitely in the financial position to take me on but having just retired I am sure that the task of raising their 7 week old grand-daughter was a bit displacing for where they thought they would be at that period in their lives. But being the amazing people they were they took me on full force (and helped shape a fairly decent human-being if I do say so myself...). I am sure it was filled with many sleepless nights (something a 60+ retired person must have thought were behind them) but I also know that it was filled with many happy times...my grandparents didn't get to have the bumper sticker that reads "we love our grandchildren, especially when they go home".. my home was theirs and as they told me in my adult life they would have never had it any other way... I miss them....

So this past March while working in Heartlines clinic I met Olez and had an instant connection with her... She is Rose's grandmother and her primary caregiver since her mothers death in the Earthquake... Olez is an amazing lady and the more I grow and learn in this life I am more and more convinced that the people in my life who have passed are responsib;e for placing certain people in my path (Margie :)) and Olez is definitely one of those people. For those of you who don't know the story of Rose and Olez you can read my blog post here:
http://liseinhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/04/children.html

On my last trip to Haiti I went to Rose and Olez's "home"..I put that into quotations because as with many Haitians "home" for them is a tent in a tent city on what feels like the outskirts of Port Au Prince. I have (thanks to all the wonderful people in my life) been able to fund raise over $3000 to build them a new house but land has been the issue and we have not been able to secure it or build them a house. I had been putting off going to their house because I doubted (and turns out rightfully so) that I would be able to deal with what I saw very well. In addition to Rose (who is now 1), Olez was caring for Roses 3 year old brother, her own 7 year old son who had severe epilepsy, her 9 year old son (who has asthma), her 26 yr old dtr lives with them, her 86 year old blind mother and her husband...

When my mom died my grandparents had 7 week old me to care for in a large house in the country with money saved for retirement...Olez has essentially 5 other people to care for while living in a tent and with no source of income...

In the earthquake Olez lost her daughter (Roses mother) she has lost 2 other children for various reasons over the past 2 years... in the email I received from Beth tonight I learned that another of her sons died on Monday. She had come to tell Beth and Sarah a friend visiting there told her that she is in my heart and this made this strong,stoic women cry...

The people of Haiti have suffered and lost more in the last year then any of us can imagine losing in a lifetime...but Olez has lost so so much and my heart breaks for the suffering this poor women has gone through ...and I will do what I can to help her and Rose because I know you brought her to my life for a reason Nana..

Not only in Haiti but all over the world mothers, grandmothers and women alike care for and keep the world running with little to no recoginition...hug your moms and grandmas..give thanks to the women of the world i know I will tonight...

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