For as long as I can remember, Mummyma, my grandmother, has been my best friend. 

Like many grandmothers, she has fed me copious amounts of food, told me tales of far-off lands and supported me throughout all my endeavors. She is my confidant and my critic, always ready for late-night rant sessions and sporadic breakdowns. 

If my mother and her sisters were asked to describe Mummyma, they would probably say that she is a strong, independent, hardworking woman. Don’t get me wrong, she is definitely all that and more. 

But if you were to look a little deeper, you would see a woman who values her family more than anything in the world. A woman who would do anything so that the people around her are happy and healthy, even if that means sacrificing parts of herself and for that, I will never be able to tell her how thankful I am. 

Mummyma doesn’t like the use of the words “thank you” and “please,” especially from family. She feels as though these formalities are redundant within relations. Though she doesn’t show it, she holds every comment and criticism she receives with utmost importance and holds it dear to her heart. 

Her only fatal flaw, in my opinion, is the power she gives to others’ perceptions of her. People pleasing is a great skill to have, but not if it forces unwanted change. Like many of her other traits, this has also carried over to me. Mummyma has taught me that it is important to never forget your own happiness, even if it means not pleasing someone else. 

It is the small lessons such as these that have shaped who I am. From the times I spent in India during the summers to the days I spend with Mummyma now that she lives in the United States, there has never been a dull moment. Stealing candies and chocolates from the pantry without my mom noticing and talking into the late hours of the night are just a few of the daily adventures that Mummyma and I embark on. 

I can never thank her enough for all the small things she does for me. For watching me practice dance for hours on end. For listening to every redundant point I have to make. For making me tea whenever I have one of my unbearable headaches. For defending me when my sister and I are fighting. For always being there for me and being my role model. 

For being the woman who made me. 

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