I draw inspiration from my grandmother. She motivated me go in search of the American Dream. Her goal was to ensure a high quality of life for her children so that they could achieve what she had not. Living in an one-bedroom home with her husband and three children, she would wake up at five in the morning to battle the bone-chilling morning frost and walk to school where she worked as the principal. While trying to assimilate to the mass of modern society, she still was able to pass on her traditional identity by training my mother in Indian classical singing, dancing and, later in me, instilling a great sense of moral rectitude and cultural pride. Her efforts to substantiate a means for success paid off because she single-handedly guided my entire family into the life that we value today. Growing up, each time that I gazed into her omniscient eyes, which were full of experience and wisdom, I would get a reaffirming sensation—one that lands in the heart and flows through the veins. When her eyes met mine, I knew that she approved of the person I had become and will be in the future. In that hint of blue that encircled the earth-brown iris of her eyes I could see the power of the ocean, the beauty of skies, and the majesty of the wind that connects both. I could feel the energy of the electricity that binds everything together. I, essentially felt life. She would approve of my decision to pursue life the way I am, so that I may carry forward the torch of life: of knowledge, of humanity, of hard-work, and of love. Even today, I feel her presence in my blood, in my conversations, in my personality, and in my surroundings. Tonight and for the rest of my life, Granny, I understand your purpose, and I understand myself better than I have ever been able to do so before. Thank you for giving me a model to mold myself into, and thank you for inspiring me. You are the flower in the forest, the breaths that I take, the message in the bottle, and the stars in the sky. May you grace every day with even the smallest reminders of hope and of love: the smiles that we exchange and the music that we make. The brilliancy that encompassed your life encourages my faith, and moreover, gives me proof—proof that life has direction. I miss you and love you more than words can describe—I’ll settle with “infinitely”.
Yours,
Deepa
