Lived her life like she was never tired. She was always on her feet cooking, and doing anything that made everyone else happy, not even having a thought in her mind about herself. She always had a smile on her face, and was welcoming, and kind to everyone she meets. This person would be my great grandma or as I always called her “Tita”. She was a short El Salvadorian lady with short gray hair, and beautiful eyes. She was the strongest person I knew, and I still think of her as the strongest person I know even though she is not physically with me today. She pushed through many obstacles in her life like working three full time jobs everyday, suffering the loss of her husband (my grandpa), and still managing to be there for me when I needed her, and she spoiled me crazy doing things like; taking me shopping, cooking with me, teaching me new things, and doing whatever i wanted to do. I’m amazed at how much she worked, and wanted to please everyone, and never thought of herself. It truly amazes me how I can’t recall one time that she complained or said no to anything that anyone asked of her. She was truly strong willed, and had a huge heart.

My great grandma passed away in 2010. I’m the luckiest person ever to get the opportunity to meet someone like her, and have such a great relationship with her. People like her come around once in a while, and I appreciated every moment I had with her. Tita was very hardworking. For over 15 years she worked three full time jobs. She worked at Kemper, Baxter, and at Hawthorn Woods. How does someone do that you might ask, and still always have a smile on their face. If anyone could do that, it was her. On Monday- Fridays she worked from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. then she went home to grab some lunch then she drove over to her second job which was from 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. then on Saturdays - Sundays she worked from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. between all of these working hours she still managed to take care of my mom, and her two other sisters. She wasn’t a single mom but her husband; my great grandpa wasn’t working at the time. During the time when she worked three full time jobs, She was taking care of my mom, and her two sisters. they were still in high school or younger. She would always have food on the table for them. She was always there for them whenever they needed her, and she made it to all of their events. In the years that I knew her which was from 1999 when I was born to the day she died in 2010, she was always working hard even though she was retired. I would go, and visit her everyday after school, and she was always cooking food. Her favorite food dish to make, and our favorite dish to eat was an El Salvadorian dish called pupusas ,and a side of rice and beans. She would cook for my anyone that walked into her house. There would always be food ready. I never saw her sit down to enjoy the enormous mounds of food that she had prepared she would be standing, and cooking the whole time. She was truly the most hardworking person I have ever met.

I always had those tough track meets or my brother would have those tough basketball and football games. My grandma was always there sitting in the stands cheering me on through it all. When I was done and disappointed, she was always there to greet me with a big hug, and she always had the biggest smile on her face. Whenever I saw her, my mood brightened up instantly. She always had the right words to say. Most of the time she wouldn’t even have to say anything, and she would make me happy, and keep pushing through life’s many obstacles.. Being in her presence alone was so special to me. Whenever I would walk into her house or see her, she would greet me with “Hola chiquita linda” or “Hola preciosa” or she would say to me “te quiero mucho”. Whenever she greeted me with these words, or greeted me in general she made me feel so special. She wasn’t like this with only me, but with everyone. She treated everyone as if they were her kids own grandkids because she truly had a big heart.

My grandma was the strongest person I knew. She went through a lot in her life. She went through having the loss of her husband; my grandpa a couple years before she died. She had a really hard time with that. She loved my grandpa very much, but she knew that he went to a happy place so she didn’t focus on the sadness, but the good times that they had together. Even though she was really sad she would never show it or express it to any of us. She would still show us her unconditional love every moment we spent time with her. She would teach me how to do little crafts, how to bake El salvadorian food dishes, and color with me when I was little. These are just a few of the many activities, and examples of the time that I spent with her. If she was having a bad day I never knew it because she always had a smile on her face, and did everything to please everyone else. She lived her life to please everyone. To this day she is still the strongest person I know. She worked so hard, and never showed her weaknesses or struggles.

My grandma was the most hardworking, strongest, and caring person I knew. If anyone could make your day better it would be her. she always made you smile. She welcomed everyone even if she didn’t know you very well or just met you for the first time. She made you smile because she was a truly happy person to be around, and always brought the rainbow after there was rain. She treated you with love all the time. She was always welcoming to everyone she met or got to know because she was truly a kind person at heart, and would never be mean to anyone. My grandma amazed me with everything that she did in her life she never complained, and was always the most positive person I knew. I’m so appreciative that I got to know her. I want to live my life just like my grandma because she always brought smiles to peoples faces, and was liked by so many people. Having a positive attitude like her got her very far in life, and made her very successful. I’m amazed by how my grandma lived her life, and I want to try and be just like she was. She lived her life like she was never tired. She never showed her weaknesses or her struggles. Thats exactly how I want to live my life; just like my grandma.