For some reason, I suddenly had a strong urge to write about my grandmother tonight.

My Grandma still drives herself everywhere. She drives to Church, she drives 60 kilometres TWICE a week to yoga class, she drives herself to the local hospital. Someone her age shouldn’t be on the road and if I had the money, I would hire her a driver. But till then…..

She lives alone with a maid in a big bungalow that echoes space and refuses to move out to a smaller home. Because old people are resistant to change although she also has her neighbourhood friends that she is familiar with. Grandma has a social diary more active than mine. She doesn’t see her children very often at all because they all avoid her. She talks too much, they say. But she’s your Mother, I say.

Nothing changes.

So we all go about our very busy lives, forgetting what is really important. Forgetting that the old lady, this old lady, was the same lady who went through 2nd world war as a child. This old lady who lost her own beloved father at the innocent age of 5. This old lady who worked all her life as a hospital matron to support 11 mouths single-handedly. This old lady who had to budget her cash into 17 envelopes every month to ensure everyone got fed. This old lady who endured the verbal and physical abuse of her husband yet never got divorced due to her Catholic faith. This old lady who survived a 20 inch scar across her back from one and a half lungs removed from her body. This old lady who suffered the wrath of shingles as big as a babies blanket wrapped around her body. This old lady who pops 20 pills a day for her ailments – diabetes, heart problems, blood pressure, pain, pain and more pain. And then to be faced with suicide, murder, family feuds and gross unappreciation.

My own experience with Grandma stems from the time she brought us up as our neighbour. Grandma lived just 3 houses away from us and used to walk over for dinner every evening. We then walked her home after dinner. It was a time to watch the moon and carry our torchlights, and chat about just about anything under the sun. Sometimes, we’d stay the night with her on weekends. Just so we could stay up late and watch her little black and white telly in her bedroom.

When I was in England, Grandma came over to live with me for a whole month. Now, if it had been my Mother instead, one of us might already be in our graves. But not Grandma. She was pure delight even though none of her children will believe it. I’d go to work everyday and come home to either cooked food or somebody to talk to. It was her time to tell me all the Grandmother tales she had to tell, and cherish them I do until today. We did everything together in that one month and I never once glanced at the clock to count the seconds before she’d leave me back to my own routine. Never.

In fact, I wished my own Mother had so much as an interest to visit me whilst I was in the UK. But nay.

Grandma has the most obnoxious mouth but the kindest heart. You really have to know her to take her twisted words with a pinch of salt. I have certainly learnt that she is completely harmless and will always be grateful for the times she had saved me. Like when I had the worst ache at 16 and thought my gut was about to explode through my skin, it was Grandma who rushed me to the Doctors. When I suffered from a whole year of migraines and numbness, it was Grandma who again took me around till Doctors diagnosed me with hemaphlegic migraines (caused to due extreme stress conditions).

She also cooks the best Portuguese cuisine every Christmas and bakes the best pineapple jam tarts. Really. Nobody makes it like her. Her recipe is one of a kind.

Grandma is the kind of person who would climb up her own roof to check what was wrong. I kid you not. And then fall through the ceiling. She cares for her own huge flower garden and chops the branches of her mango tree with an axe.

Now, she massages me. Can you believe it? I should be the one doing the massaging but instead my grandmother massages me. She really is one strong woman. Fitter than me in every way. More agile. And certainly mentally tough.

She has given me strength too, to do things. Because if she can after all that she has been through, then certainly, I can………as after all, I have her iron will and blood of steel.

I hope she will live for a very long time to come. Here’s to you, Grandma!

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Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin is a former Design Architect turned Multi-Million Dollar Digital Entrepreneur. She sets out to prove to all that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.

Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past and doubled her salary 5 times over 5 organisations but has grown THREE BUSINESSES to 7 FIGURES within an 8 year period. She now shows others EXACTLY HOW after retiring her own husband from employment. He is now the official dog walker, family driver, chef and THE BEST FATHER to their two girls and THE BEST HUSBAND to the woman who CHOSE HIM!

Mamapumpkin is the girl who has nothing but fights for everything including YOU. She is idealistic in her desire to put unbelievable amounts of money and extrardinary happiness into the lives of good people so we can change the world together believing in happiness for ALL. She strives to impact lives authentically wanting to reduce poverty cycles and enable quality education for all and always supports the voiceless. She believes we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.

A beautiful life without limits.

If you wish to learn how to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave to take action. Mamapumpkin's purpose is to build people. Her gift is to help them UNCOVER their HIDDEN GIFTS. She operates fairly and always leaves an impression. You either love her or not and she is alright either way.

She is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything with anyone, as she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.