My Grandmother

Throughout my life I have never really had a father, but I did have a grandma and grandpa. They taught me religion, spirituality, culture and most importantly the true significance of family. My great-grandmother had twelve children and my grandmother was the eldest out of all of them. She learned to give and care for others at a young age, but at the age of ten she was taken to a residential school. In residential schools she suffered from depression and abandonment from not being able to be with her family. While she attended residential schools she had an older cousin who looked out for her, because without her family she would have could have been raped, abused, and or mistreated.

Having a great grandmother who has survived residential schools is something to be proud and grateful for, because she is a survivor. She suffered from chronic nerves from when she got beaten and slapped in the face from the nuns because she spoke a native tongue. At a young age I was separated from my mother and struggled to have hope for the future, although after my grandmother took me under her wing, things became clearer because she too was taken from her mother at a young age too. I realized why our family has abandonment issues along with abusive history because of all the hardships they’ve been through. I cannot blame my mother for the things she did not know, but she too is still growing as a mother and survivor.

 

    I am very fortunate to have my grandmother who is still alive and well. She’s taught me to fight through hard situations and gave me immense courage in accomplishing the things I like to do, like sports. She taught me to do my best work and to do them with passion and care, Without my grandma in my life I would not be the person I am today. By having my grandmother and grandfather in my life, they give me that extra courage to do good, along with having hope towards a good future for my grandchildren too. Without the traits of hope and courage in my life I would not be able overcome average situations/problems in my life, because facing problems and overcoming them is what makes you who you are and make you unique/stronger as an individual.

-By Tristen Fox