You may be asking yourself, "What does Bushia even mean?" Well, Bushia is the Americanized version of the Polish word for Grandma, one that a lot of people are familiar with. Bushia isn't just a title given by a family, it is a title that someone has to earn and live up too.
A Bushia is like having a best friend, a confidant, and a "cool" grandma all rolled into one. My Bushia and I have the best of times when we are together, and there is hardly a moment you won't find us laughing or doing something fun. She has even taken on the impossible task of trying to teach me how to cook.
Believe it or not, I do have grandparents who are called Grandma and Grandpa, and I love them too with all of my heart, and they are just as special. They do amazing things and have so many amazing stories to tell, but the story of my Bushia is one unlike any other.
Bushia's do everything that normal grandparents can do, but you will never find her sitting in a rocking chair knitting because she loves to be busy, and doing something, even if that something is deep cleaning her entire house because she was bored.
I've never seen someone care so much about other people as I have seen a Bushia care for her family and friends around her. She always puts everyone else before herself and doesn't think twice about it, and why would she? She genuinely cares for those in her life and has a heart twelve times bigger than I have ever seen on anyone else. She has a hard time saying no to people, and I think that's because her heart is so big, but sometimes she just needs a day to herself. There is always room for one more person, a motto that she has taught to all her children and grandchildren. If there is a holiday, she expects you to invite your friends if they have nowhere else to go, because everyone deserves to be around family.
Though matter how old I get, I will always be my Bushia's little girl, her first grandchild, and she will always be just as excited to see you as she would be to see her much younger grandchildren, because everyone deserves to be treated equally, and deserves someone fun to come visit once in a while.
A Bushia is not a typical grandparent, by any means. She may still go to band concerts or baseball games like an ordinary grandparent in order to support you, but she doesn't look or act like a grandparent would. She is spunky, quirky, fun, and loving. When you go to the grocery store with her, no one will believe you if you tell them that you are in fact her granddaughter and not her sister.
I don't know where I'd be without my Bushia. She never gave up on me, even before I was born, and to this day she has never stopped fighting for me or believing in me. My Bushia and I are like best friends, and we always will be. It doesn't matter how much time has passed between one visit and the next because it will always feel like no time has passed at all.
