You were my best friend. You still are. My guardian angel. My blessing. An inspiration to me. What I aspire to be one day. I love you, Grandma. Happy birthday up in heaven, my sweet angel.

Today is my Grandma’s birthday. She would have been 76. Five years ago I lost my second mother to a brain aneurysm. My grandma and my mom are two of the most inspirational people in my life. Although my Grandma is no longer here on Earth, everything I do in my life is to make her proud. Whether it's getting good grades or helping others, I really strive to make her proud. Today is her birthday, and there is nothing more I wish for than giving her a huge hug and celebrating her birthday!

That’s another thing. Please, please, please have you loved ones relay to you when they aren’t feeling well and take the proper steps if something feels off. Unfortunately, many people who have aneurysms do not survive, especially if they are older. Know your family history, know your risk factors and know what to do to prevent future harm. I don’t wish the pain of losing a loved one on anyone. However, death is an unfortunate reality of life. It's something that is so hard to cope with. Something no one wants to think about. Something people try to avoid. No one wants to write a will. Tempt fate. Deal with tragedy. No one wants to go through the anguish that is involved in saying final goodbyes. It’s absolute terror. Horrible.

There is one thing that keeps me going. Seeing your pictures dotted across the house. Looking at old pictures and videos. Videos are my favorite. I love hearing your voice and infectious laugh. Reflecting on family vacations. Thinking about all of the summers spent in the pool and eating ice cream sandwiches. There are so many things in this world I wish you could physically be here to see and do with me. I wish I could go on a shopping trip with you. Go on vacation to Greece and Italy to see where our roots are. I wish you could have helped pick out my prom dress. Been there to pin on my high school graduation cap. I wish you could be here to see me cross the stage at my college graduation this winter. I wish you could be here to send me off on my first day of law school. I wish you could be here to help Mommy and I pick out my wedding dress. I wish you could see my future kids being born. Help pick out names and spend time with them. Play games with them. Bake them your awesome treats and smooch them with loving hugs and kisses like you always gave me. I wish you were still here with us. But I’m happy you aren’t suffering. I wish you could be here and I wish it wasn’t like this.

I guess for today, wishing you a Happy Birthday will have to do. I love you, my sweet guardian angel.