Wilma C. Bailey

My role model is my grandmother, Wilma C. Bailey. My grandparents owned a grocery store together, and they were very close. My grandfather died when I was just a few weeks old, and I admire my grandmother because she has remained strong through the loss of her husband. Fourteen years later, my grandmother married another man. However, he became very sick and had to go to the hospital several times. He later got to where he could not take care of himself, and all he could do was sit in a chair. My grandmother waited on him constantly. She even had to help him walk anywhere he needed to go in the house. After her husband became so ill that she was not physically able to take care of him, my grandmother had to send him to a nursing home.

I truly admire my grandmother because she remains strong, even after going through tough times. She takes responsibility for whatever obstacle is put in front of her. My grandmother relies on God to lead her life, and she lives to be a witness for Him. By watching her actions, I have also learned the true meaning of love and compassion. No matter how difficult the problem was with either of her husbands, she was always a loyal wife who would do anything for either of them.

Now that she has some spare time on her hands, my grandmother enjoys getting together and playing cards with several of her friends. She is always baking things for other people, especially those who are sick. She drives to the nursing home everyday to visit her second husband and the other patients, where she constantly brightens up the place with her bubbly personality. Ever since I was a little girl, my grandmother has always told me to live my life to the fullest because I never know what tomorrow might bring. I now see how fitting her words are to my life.