I have been blessed with wonderful roommates.

I had an amazing dorm experience with my bestie from high school, Caroline. I found my best friend Katelyn while living in the sorority house, and currently love my housemates Jordan, Katelyn, Kennedy, and Maddie.

But my favorite roommate was Marianna, and she was 82 years old.

My grandmother moved in with us in February 2014.

She had a stroke and was left blind and her left side was permanently damaged. She obviously couldn’t live alone anymore, and my family couldn’t bear the thought of her in a nursing home, so she moved in.

My grandmother is not your typical, pushover grandma. She was a spitfire. She was sarcastic, quick, and funny as hell.

Growing up, we didn’t get along because, well I am just like her. We both had a short fuse, and both loved to fight. We also were used to getting what we wanted.

I am the baby of the family, and she was an only child. She also lost her husband when my mom was only 12 so she was used to ruling the roost. I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but now I can see that we are a lot alike.

When she moved in, I thought it was going to be hard. I thought we were going to fight 24/7, which apparently really upset my mother. But by the grace of God, we never fought. No, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but I loved every moment she stayed with us.

Since I was the youngest, I never got that one-on-one time to get to know her because there were so many grandkids. The stroke ruined her eyes so; we had to talk.

We couldn’t just sit together and watch TV, we held hands and just talked. She told me stories that she hadn’t told anyone and opened up because she knew this was it for her.

I had never seen the soft side of her until she couldn’t see anymore. She told me she was scared and how much she loved me every single day. I think God waited for us to become close because I wouldn’t have appreciated these things she taught me when I was younger.

I think about her every day, and I am so thankful she got to live with me for a year.

It was challenging for my mom to see her best friend slowly go. And for my dad to let his relationship with my mom take the backburner so she could help my grandmother.

I know my mom thinks that she neglected me that year, but it allowed me to do a lot of growing up and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I will never forget how special that year was and that I got to have an experience not a lot of people get to have.

I think about her every day and still, tear up now writing this. Appreciate the time you have with people like this in your life especially during this holiday season.