Assignment: Write a letter to the person who inspires you to be the best version of yourself. Please include two of our recent vocabulary words.
Entry: Annslie Booher, 9th Grade

Grandma,

I miss seeing your precious face everyday. I miss calling you every morning to tell you I love you and to have a good day. I miss your magnanimous spirit, always forgiving everyone and being so generous. I lost you almost a year ago and no one knows how much I’ve struggled with it because I try to hide it. I only try to hide it because I know if you saw me crying over you, you would look at me and tell me to smile because it would all be okay. When I lost you, I lost a listening ear, the happiest and strongest person I’d ever met. When I lost you, Grandma, I lost my best friend.

I would give up anything to have another day with you, just to talk about everything that has been going on. You would be there to comfort me when I cry because I can’t play basketball yet. You always tried to make it out to my ball games, and you always tried to be there for Grayson and me. Every time we walked into your house, you were always sitting in your recliner smiling at us.

When my English teacher told me to write a letter to the person who inspires me most, you were the first person that came to mind. You inspire me because you worked so hard for what you had, you worked so hard on your farm. You were always feeding your animals, tending to your garden, or just simply feeding the birds outside the back glass door so Grayson and I could watch them. Another reason you inspire me is because you always extolled God. From starting the Emmaus community in Cumberland County, to going to church every Sunday, you excelled at being a great Christian. If I can be half the Christian lady you were, I'll be content. I remember going to your house the week before Christmas and having our annual get together. It always made you so happy to have all of your family together. You would just sit there and grin at us. I would give up anything in the world to see that precious grin again.

Last but not least, Grandma, you inspire me because you were always happy. No matter what was going on, you always looked at the bright side of things. You were always in church, and when you weren't, you were with your family or on your farm because that's what made you happy. In my 13 years that I got to spend with you, I never saw you mad; you just weren't that kind of person. Whenever something bad is going on, I try to call you, and then I remember that I can't anymore. I know you had to leave, but the fact that you're gone still hurts me daily. The fact that I can't call you when I'm having a bad day, the fact that I can't just run down to your house after church service to check on you. It all hurts me, but I try to hide it because I know you would want me to.

Thank you for being a role model in my life, thank you for loving me and everyone you encountered unconditionally. Thank you for being a woman of God, a lover of everyone, and a hard-worker. I promise that I'll always try to make you happy until I meet you again, until I get to see that precious grin and hold you in my arms again. I know you had to leave me, and I know you're in heaven because like my dad always said, “If mom doesn't make it to heaven, then we all have a hard afterlife coming.” I hope you're listening to “Where the Roses Never Fade,” because that was your favorite song. I know you're in the land where the roses don't ever fade. I love you, Grandma! I hope you're worshipping with the angels!

With all the love in my heart,

Annslie <3