engineeringdreams:

A few months before my Great Grandmother passed away at the age of 91 we had a huge Birthday party for her. I can’t say I knew her the same way my mother or her late husband did, but she was always a positive influence on me. She made really great food which put a smile on everyone’s face when we all sat down to eat. She didn’t ask for thanks but more often than not everyone complimented her on how good the food was. She was Illiterate but could remember all these recipes and she would start cooking just after breakfast. My great grandmother and my grandmother from my mother’s side both showed me the importance of food and more importantly the importance of having the whole family sit down together to share a meal. I don’t particularly like eating alone, it’s kind of sad for me because I love being able to sit down and share stories over great food. I love cooking and eating but only if I can share it with someone else. The more I like you the more I will want to cook for you and go out of my way to do it. I felt like certain discussions wouldn’t even come up because everyone was so much more interested in experiencing the food. It made people happy and that affected our conversations. It’s hard to have a bad conversation over great food I think.

Anyway, enough about food. One of her nephews, I think, printed a copy of something similar to this for everyone at the birthday lunch/gathering and then read it aloud. No one said a word, just smiles and nods. It wasn’t super emotional or outstanding like watching a sunrise in India for the first time but it’s a memory I will not easily forget. It was a reminder to everyone to take a step back and realise what was really important. You are responsible for making your life beautiful.

The world can be a shit hole sometimes, it seems like we are reminded of that too often, So don’t add to it by forgetting what really matters. Don’t be one of those people with empty eyes and a cold heart. In fact, be nice to them, I think they need it the most. 

Also, read this. 

♥