My grandma turned 96 today and is a beautiful soul. Although her physical and mental health is declining as the years go by, her spirit is never defeated. It’s inspiring to see her live with such laughter, joy, and gratitude. Though I know she has had many heartbreaks, she always tells us how blessed her life has been. She mourned the loss of her child (my aunt when she was 3), the loss of her husband, and had to endure a lot of hardships during the Korean War. I’m sure there are many stories I have yet to hear… if she still remembers them.
Even now, while the rest of us are busy at work, she spends her day looking out the window. I know it can be a lonely life for someone her age. Yet, the hardships never define her. When you see her, she will greet you with a smile and remind you of how blessed she is. I hope I can one day be at least half as grateful as she is.
Photos above were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III and 50 mm / 1.2L lens.
할머니 생일 축하합니다 (Happy Birthday Grandma)!
This wasn’t a planned gratitude post (I do those on Wednesdays), but ended up being one anyways! You can see all my other gratitude posts by clicking on the banner:
oh. hmm. i need to learn how to say “happy birthday” in the formal way… hehehe…
you’re so blessed to have a grandma. i never had the privilege of meeting any of my grandparents. =( i’m glad i got to meet halmoni when i visited your church; she definitely radiates joy and gratitude. =)
saeng il chook ha hap ni da! you can youtube it. when you say it fast.. it sounds like ham ni da.
i haven’t met both my grandpa’s but i’ve met the one on my dad’s side briefly.. and on my mom’s side.. she practically raised me. :P i actually thought my grandma was my mom when my mom was in the states and i was in korea. i bet you would have gotten really good stories from them.