Katherine Hayes

My hero is my Great Grandma Katherine Hayes. I look up to my Grandma because she was such a strong woman and never let anything get to her. She loved to be outside and walk around everywhere even when she was in her old age. She went through so many struggles and she never gave up on life no matter what, which I really admire about her. She lived life to the fullest. Whenever my brother and I would go visit her, she was always so happy, so that always made us happy. She made us smile and laugh no matter what. She always put her family first and took care of them before herself.

My Grandma lost a lot. She lost a daughter when she was still a baby, but that was only the beginning. Her husband died and then soon after one of her sons died. They all left her too soon. As if that wasn't hard enough, her other son, my mom's dad, died. Practically her whole family was gone and she never gave up on life or questioned why it was happening to her. She stayed strong for the people around her, like my mom who was 4 when her dad died and my aunt who was 2, even though she was hurting inside.

No matter how many obstacles life gave her, she never doubted or gave up on God. I think that because of all the obstacles, it brought her closer to God and made her faith stronger. She would never take anything for granted and she would always thank God for what she had. She tried to teach me and my brother that not everyone in the world could be as lucky as us. I will always remember what she said to my brother one day when he was going to waste his lunch, "Some people in this world aren't as fortunate as us and they can't even get a piece of bread, so don't waste your food. Save it for later and don't just throw it out." It was a little thing that she told him, but it is one thing I will never forget.

I have so many memories with my Grandma. I remember my other Grandmother, Grandma Fran, picking me up every Sunday to take my Grandma Hayes grocery shopping. I loved doing this because I got to spend time with them and it made me feel special. I also remember going to her house and playing with all of the toys she had for us. She had giant letter and number mats that you could make different words with and connect them. My brother and I would make a bunch of them and then lay on them. She also had this old Jack in a Box toy that I loved to play with. But nothing beat this old fashioned high chair. Back then I didn't realize it was a high chair because it was just a really tall green chair and the tray swung up like a desk at school. It was one of those things that I will never forget about her house.

After remembering all of these things, I truly do miss my grandma. She was a strong woman who never gave up and always put her family before her. I always say that when I have a daughter, I am going to name her Katherine after her, and it's true. I am going to do it so that she will always be remembered as the strong woman she was.