Norma Jean Rivers, where do I start?

There is so much to be said about you, but so little words can describe how much I care for you. You're easily my best friend, and have been for such a long time. I can go on bragging about your humor, how fun it is to see you every week and how you've been here for me my entire life when I needed you the most. You have been my rock, my source of late night entertainment and my biggest supporter.

As many may know, my mom (her daughter), passed away when I was eight, and was suffering with many illnesses prior to her death, but my Nana was always stayed so strong for us kids. She took the initiative to retire early to take care of my brother and I, and take care of us when we needed stability the most. She was the one to walk us to school, take us to malls and parks, make sure we had everything set for the days to come and always had a full stomach.

There have been days where I am pretty sure you have wanted to kill me, for the dumb decisions I have made, but you were there for all of it. You were also there for the hilarious times, and those are the days that have been embedded into my childhood. When Nick jumped off of the tip of a chair onto your air mattress during a sleepover while I was laying on one end, and you heard all of the commotion from the shower as we nearly gave you heart failure. When I couldn't pronounce Penelope, so I just called the name Pen-oh-lope. My personal favorite, when I had an obsession of playing Crocodile Rock loudly and screaming the song to you from other rooms.

Nana, you always hated photos of yourself, and I know that. I would get the most glorious candid photos of you. However, I have magically convinced you to take your first selfie with me just a few weeks ago. I begged and begrudgingly you agreed to see what it was like. Then introducing you to the world of Face Swap was absolutely hilarious. I've taught you so much about the Internet, and how Google and YouTube are the best things ever. I even introduced you to Amazon Prime, and I never would get mad at calls in the middle of my shifts on how to get Wi-Fi to work because you just switched from Dial-Up. I loved fascinating you with my Mac-book, and I saw the enjoyment you got from being able to use an iPad for the first time, and how much you wanted your own one day.

I will never take life for granted anymore because as seen in the following weeks things can go downhill fast. I was always stubborn with my health, but now I will be attentive and won't take the little issues I throw aside for nothing. I won't disappoint you and I hope you know that I love you more than any person walking on this earth. I will always remember every single week where I would come to your house, do your shopping, cook with you and then gossip for hours. Recently, when I brought Chris to the hospital to go and see you, I think that was one of the happiest moments I have seen you recently, and how much you made me laugh when you double thumbs up'd him when he walked away to put a chair back for me. Since then, he has been accompanying me to every visit, to make you a bit happier even if I can't do much. The void will never be filled, but I will grow as a woman and take your legacy with me, wherever I go.

I promised you the day you entered the facility, I was going to keep coming to see you once or twice a week, and I kept that promise. You tell me to go away, of course I don't. When I visited you in the ICU, I said I'll be back to see you, and although you could barely speak, you had the strength to say, "No," because you're stubborn and you know it. I kept that promise and visited you in the ICU, a few days after surgery and I said to you that I told you I promised.

I love you so much Nana.

Yours forever,

Your Youngest Grandchild

(P.S. I still want to join the fruit of the month club, so be ready.)