I have the best grandma in the world. Hands down. No doubt about it. I just got off the phone with her and instead of the standard goodbye that most people give, she said "I always love you, Kathleen. You're so good!" in her wonderful Irish accent. I cannot do it justice here, it's something you just have to hear. I makes me feel like a giddy 3-year-old who is very proud and knows she did something good. Granny is always making me feel like that. She has this incredible work ethic, and it's always...cheerful. Seriously, folks, believe it or not, she could be on her hands and knees scrubbing a floor but if you listen you can hear her humming to herself, and if you look closely, you can see a twinkle in her eye. When I was a kid throwing a temper tantrum, all Granny would have to do was look at me with that bright laughing smile and wave her finger at me. That was kind of a private joke between my siblings and Granny. She wasn't waving her finger in a commanding way - just moving it back and forth. She insisted that she could make any of us smile with the wave of a finger. And it was TRUE. We would test her. One time, I was doing a really good job, holding out, my face locked in a fake frown. Then she says with her jovial voice, "Oh, Kathleen, you're so ugly when you frown. " Well right then and there I broke into laughter. I mean, who's grandma is going to call them ugly!? I couldn't believe it. She was kind of spicy, that grandma.

She put up with a lot too. One time when she was babysitting for my older sister and I, we decided it would be funny to pee in our beds. Only I couldn't do it. I just couldn't go, and it wasn't a moral thing. So I had to use water instead of pee. Boy, Granny was angry when we told her we had fallen asleep and both peed in the bed. The disapproval was overwhelming as we watched her change the sheets for us. I remember feeling really ashamed, and understanding that it's not funny to make more work for people.

Granny taught me a ton of lessons. I could write a whole book about it. Some of my favorites were just those little sayings. I can't think of any right now. Most of them had to do with taking it easy, being laid back, keeping a good perspective, and using your head. Granny is full of wisdom.

I can't write all day, but I think I've made my point. Granny can always brighten my day. I have a ton of respect for her. And I want to be exactly like her when I'm older.