Athena Carpenter
My Great Grandmother
“ They can ’ t tell me what to do ; they can ’ t keep me confined in this little space .
I am a boundless woman ; as long as I can walk and have a mind of my own I will use it .
I am strong ; I don ’ t need anyone to help me stand
They can ’ t stop me from living my life to the fullest ; getting the most out of it .”
Athena Carpenter
My great grandmother is strong and a fighter ,
She doesn ’ t let anybody bring her down . She has Alzheimer ’ s and slowly every time I visit her she remembers me less and less . Recently I visited her and I was a blur on her mind . She said , “ Are you his friend ” when it was my father . “ Are you engaged ” she had forgotten my age . Every time I told her five minutes later she would ask me again . “ Who are you ?” Even though she had forgotten me she still remembered that she is her own . She owns her life and still has control over what she does . She ’ s not at a point where she needs help ; she ’ s not disabled . I don ’ t want to go through life without her truly knowing who I am .
It had been so long since I had seen her in her mind I was still a little girl , when I told her my age she just didn ’ t believe me .
She is my blood and she has taught me you can ’ t turn your back on family .
You must always make the time for family because there may come a time when they forget you or you lose them before you even get a chance to really know them .
Don ’ t hold grudges ; don ’ t let trivial things break you apart from your family . “ Blood is thicker than water ”. Remember that .