My Eternal Inspiration - When Life Gave Her Lemons, She Made a F**** Margarita :)

Hello (again) Steem world!

I was away for last two weeks...But I really wish the reason for that was something else.

Unfortunately, my grandma had a stroke. I was the one to found her lying on the floor, lost and helpless. But alive.

I'm almost 36 now and, believe me, I've been through a lot, but this was the biggest shock for me. Ever. I know most people would say something like this for people they found close, but my grandma was (and still is, thank God) a very special lady.

She is 85 now. When she was 17, back in 1940's, she got tuberculosis, which was incurable back then... In sanatorium where she was lying, she was one of the few that survived. Her life wasn't always easy, but she is the strongest woman I have ever met.

She survived cancer when she was around fifty. After operation, they cut half her gizzard out to safe her life, and of course, doctors recommended chemo and radiation. She said that's not an option and walked away home. She said NO to most of their diet advices and lived next 35 years the only way she knew and could - HER way.

She married young for a love of her life and lost her husband before turning 40. She put all her love to raise my mother alone and then remarried when my mom was 20. She was a part of my life on daily bases from my first breath. I would almost dare to say that she was the one that raised me since the connection we have is something special.

My parents had me when they were very young, still students. While they were finishing their studies, she was the one beside me, helping me make my first steps to this world. Telling me stories, holding my hand through every flu, helping me write my first letters and wiping my tears from first disappointments.

She finished college in 1940's when it was not a quite common thing, here in Croatia, especially not for a woman. She was professor of Croatian language, just like I became some half century later. ;)

When I had a child, my son Jan, she transfered her love and gave me all her time and support to help me raise him. I was a single mom and could use all help at the time.

The very same morning she had a stroke, she went to church by a car since she was still driving... Went to the market to buy food to cook lunch. She was always wearing heels (she is short, around 155 cm) and once told me she wouldn't know how to walk in plain shoes. What a lady!

What I learned from her? Like that Frank Sinatra song says - always do it YOUR way - be strong, be yourself, live your life the way you know (and want) it and give love. She is pure love. Trust me on this one, I had some love(rs) in my life but she is, after my son, the love of my life. The strongest women I know, my queen and my eternal inspiration.

Now the time has come to give her back love she was giving my for the last 35 years. She will be leaving hospital on Friday but we have a very long recovery on our way. She is still half-paralised now but, knowing her, she'll walk again before you know it. In hospital, when this all happened, doctors at forst told me, very coldhearthed, that they're not very optimistic. Four days later, she was talking to us like nothing happened.

I was hanging by her bed at hospital for hours and, when she opened her eyes she told me: "What, you're still here? You should go to some club and dance" :D

This last days have been real rollercoaster for both me and her, but now I have no doubt she will be OK in the end. We'll drink coffee and laugh and smoke (psst, don't tell anyone) again.

Why I tagged this article (also) with 'introduceyourself' tag? I'm not the same person I was 15 days ago. Maybe never will be. But, like her, I will try to be best version of myself. Strong like she always was. Holding her hand now while she makes her first steps again.

Kiss from the hospital from the two of us and put us in your prayers.

xxx