Sometimes in life you don’t realize how easy you have it or appreciate the people in your life but when sickness strikes to a love one you realize how good you have it. My Nani has been around for 30 years going on 31 years of my life and all I have of her are the best memories. No matter how bad life got or how many hardships we faced, I knew going to my Nani’s house always made everything better.

She has been the number one consistent in my life. By no means did she have it easy and in these latter years probably since she was 60 she became a beacon of light for my family. Always trying to help others around her and the community that she lived in. Her resourceful nature as well as her ability to give her whole heart and soul to someone is something that I admire. She always put others first no matter who it was. When I look around at the women in my family. My three sisters, my mum and even my Mamie I see my granny in each of them as each have her good qualities.

My sisters, nieces are fearless like her while my mum and Mamie will do anything to make our family happy. Sometimes through their stomachs which is the way I feel all older Indian ladies feel they can show you that they love you. This was my Nani’s greatest gift. I can remember always going to her house and eating the best food. Even the most simplest things tasted great when she made them. No one even with the exact same recipe can emulate what my Nani could make.

My greatest memories are when I did my internship in KwaDukuza at the Xpress Times. Staying with my Nani was the best. Yes I may not have had my beloved TV but I had my Nani and that was more than enough. Listening to her stories about her life or the stories about my Nana are what I loved the most it was the most simplest things that made my life the best. Also the fact that she would think Tuesday’s were Wednesdays and would crack eggs and then cutely say she would save them for Wednesday. All I knew when I worked in KwaDukuza was to lift my head up high and keep my grandparents names up high as when you heard people like the late Penny Dhaver from the Child Welfare speak about my Nani it gave me the greatest pride. Even the other old ladies at the old age home. I always knew my family was special but hearing people speak about my Nani in a high regard was the greatest joy I could have felt.

I won’t get into the hardships that my Nani faced but I know she had a difficult life but she was always happy. Her hobbies were been with people and making sure we were well fed. The safety I found at wherever my Nani and Nana were made my life the best. Nothing fazed me when I was with them. She is truly a selfless human being who made anyone who knew in her prime before she got sick better. I will miss her but I know I am been selfish if I wanted her to live a bit longer as again she has been with me for 30 years and is survived by 7 Grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. I hope these last few days or even months are easy and she finds her inner peace. I will miss her but I have only good memories that will last a lifetime.