A list of 25 things about my grandmother could never be enough to know everything, but this gives a glimpse at the person she was. I love you as deep as the ocean, Gram.
1. Always dress in style.
A rule of my grandmother was to never leave the house any bit less than flawless. This included wearing a piece of jewelry on every possible place. They all had to match as a set and the current outfit; otherwise, it looked silly. Rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins, scarves and hairpieces: you name it and my grandmother wore it for every outfit.
2. Always be a lady: modest with a hint of sass.
3. Own a least one pair of pearls for your ears, your neck, and your wrist.
Like I said, my grandmother was a fashionista. She taught me how to dress, how to model, and how to wear the most radical and outstanding pieces of clothing.
4. If it doesn’t have sparkles, it doesn’t belong to me.
Nothing made me smile more than to have sequins on all of my accessories. They added a fiery pep to my step and always made my grandmother happy knowing I was wearing something with her signature on it.
5. It’s important as a woman to know how to do your makeup.
Whether it was simple foundation and mascara, or getting ready to win an Oscar, my grandmother was a professional. She taught me to make the duck face to see where to put your blush and how to accentuate your best features. She always provided me with the current brands that models were wearing in L.A. to help me practice. When my mother saw my sister and I all dolled up with lipstick, layers of eyeshadow, and blush, she wasn’t too happy. But that left us with many laughs later.
6. Own a pair of shoes for every occasion and every outfit you could possibly make with your wardrobe.
If you couldn’t tell by now, my grandmother loved to shop. When it’s not clothes, it’s shoes, and Lord knows my grandmother had more shoes than anything else in her house. None of these shoes went without a heel, and I’m talking at least five inches on every shoe.
7. Lipstick and heels are a must -- even around the house.
My grandmother was always embellishing, adding a scarf, bright lipstick or extra loop of pearls. I don’t remember seeing my grandmother ever wear a flat shoe -- even on the ambulance to the hospital. There was never a time my grandmother wasn’t all dolled up in lipstick, freshly dyed hair, and a pair of bright platform shoes, even if she was just making a pie to bring next door. This was an attribute that I adored about her.
8. Most memorable about my grandma were the goodies she brought every time we saw her.
She carried at least four bags filled with clothes, shoes, and magazines. Man, did she love her magazines. Women's Wear Daily was one of her favorites from New York. That was how she kept up with the latest trends in order to know what my sister and I would like. She knew the styles in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Italy, and Spain. There was nothing my grandmother didn’t know about.
9. Her cooking.
If her fashion taste wasn’t amazing, her cooking was. She made and named a cookie after me, which is my favorite of all time. They’re called the Day-Day’s. They are an Italian Anginetti cookie that has lemon frosting and sprinkles on top. A platter always arrived with no less than 100 on one plate.
10. One of the many things I learned from growing up with my Italian grandmother was that you can never eat too much food.
Especially if it is pasta or biscuits.
11. Try to find one thing you love about every person you meet or already know.
This was something I learned by observing the different things she did for others. From simply walking through a store and baking a pie for her neighbor just because they liked her cooking, to inviting the mailman in for dessert while doing his daily job or telling someone a funny and not necessarily true story, that was who my grandmother was.
12. Art is a beautiful and exciting form of expression.
She loved to paint; with pastel, oil or watercolor. She expressed all the things she loved-- God, animals, politics, and me and my sister. We went to art museums together and we each were able to express how we saw every painting, whether we had different views on them or not, and it brought us closer. She learned from me and I learned from her. I have never been so happy to have gotten her artistic abilities. I dedicate all my paintings to you now. I am blessed to have your abilities and your tools to help me grow.
13. It is possible to have many different lives. Live them all to the fullest and be the happiest you can be.
My grandmother was a hairdresser. She was a model. She was a wife. A mother. A sister. A single mother. A secretary in a corrections facility. An avid antiquer and thrift shopper. A realtor. A grandmother. An artist. A best friend. She inspires me to live my life and fulfill all of my talents to the fullest.
14. Do what is best for you first.
I learned that you cannot help others until you help yourself. I have seen this time and time again throughout her life and growing old.
15. Don’t stay stuck in the past. Learn from your mistakes and move on so that you can grow.
My grandmother learned a lot from her life and was always expressing the things she wished she had done differently. Taking this advice, I believe, will help to prevent the should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve’s.
16. No matter what I did or accomplished, my grandmother was always the proudest and loving person.
Nothing beats the love my grandmother gave. No matter who you were, she had a way of making everyone feel special.
17. Fight with grace, pride, and hope.
She was a fighter and was strong. She beat breast cancer, back surgery, and more. I envy the strength she had through every obstacle she faced. After everything, she came out stronger and remained the silliest and loving person I know.
18. Travel and live, for you never know what you will see out there.
She loved the world and all the adventures that peaked her interest. She traveled to various places and loved telling her stories over and over; each had a different twist every time she told it.
19. Always read and be open to learning new things.
The amount of books my grandmother owned and read was countless. She was always showing us something new that she found that she wanted to spread.
20. She was a self-proclaimed photographer.
She loved the Kodak disposable cameras and brought at least two in her purse everywhere she went. At every special event, she made all the family get together so she could snap a couple pictures. She made us wait after each photo so she could scroll the advance in order to take another photo the same way, just vertically. She made sure everyone was standing sideways to look thinner and that one foot was forward and the other back. At the time, this was torture, but looking back, it made for some great laughs.
21. Save everything; whether it’s money or memories, they’re all important and valuable.
Hoarding was a specialty of my grandmother. She knew the background and important facts to everything she owned and swore it had some type of insane value that could win us millions. Of course, I believed everything she said.
22. Respect and learn about all religions because there’s something to learn about everyone.
She was fascinated by all the different beliefs and sought to know a little something about everyone, even if that meant lighting the menorah or arguing with my dad about the different purposes of life.
23. Be strong-willed and passionate about everything in life.
I believe the reason my grandmother got so far with her life and her talents is because of her motivation to succeed and do the things she set her mind to. If she had a goal, nothing would stand in her way--except maybe a break to have a cigarette, but to her, that was a part of her journey.
24. She paid a lot of attention to detail, even when you didn’t think she was listening.
This was always a surprising aspect of my grandmother. She would catch you off guard with her knowledge, whether it was in gifts, words or food. She knew what you liked and was always listening. She wanted you to know she was listening, too. So she would always write letters and send text messages as a reminder that she was always there, listening.
25. Memories.
These are what stick the most between me and my grandmother. From when she sang songs to me as a little girl, to when she filled giant Santa stockings for Christmas, to when we went on shopping and lunch dates to Kohl’s and IHOP, and to the sleepovers we had at her many different apartments across Connecticut, to when we made our final memories sitting next to each other laughing over all of these memories.
